Against Expectations
by The-Woman-In-White
Summary: AH. Bella has to find a job and ends up at Cullen Inc. Against her expectations, her boss, Edward Cullen, isn't that nice and charming at all. They don't get along and Bella's left wishing she had chosen a different job. But is he really that bad?
1. Chapter 1

**1**

I got out of the subway and tried to remember which street the building was. I walked around a bit, until I found the right street, and found the building.

I was going to apply for a job, for I really needed a regular income. I was now living on my own in a very small apartment in the centre of London, which isn't the cheapest place to live. I had left the university only a year ago and had been searching for a job ever since. It hadn't been easy, so for the last few weeks, I had been willing to go to almost everything. Hence the fact I was now going to apply to be someone's assistant.

I walked into the large building with trembling hands. I wasn't sure if this was the job I wanted to do, but I needed to get one soon and this seemed to be a good option.

The lady behind the desk gave me a polite nod and put down her pen as I approached her.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm here for the job interview as Mrs Clark's assistant."

"Oh, I see you haven't heard yet," she said, with a slight awkward look upon her face.

"What haven't I heard?" I asked, already feeling disappointed.

"Mrs Clark has had a minor stroke and she went to the hospital. She will be retired next year, so she won't be returning," she told me.

"Oh, that's horrible for her. I hope she will be recovering soon. Thank you," I said and was about to walk away, feeling miserable, because this was the first suitable job I had come upon in weeks.

"But Miss, I might have another option for you," she started and I turned to face her again. "Now that Mrs Clark is gone, we are searching for a new assistant for Mr Cullen. Perhaps you would like to go to that job interview?" she asked me. It was a bit sudden and I stood there, staring at her, while I was thinking.

I didn't really have any alternative, besides just continuing to search for jobs, which hadn't been going that well to start with. I knew this was a great opportunity and if I would pass, I wouldn't come across any offer that would be better. I sighed and, even though I felt quite nervous and I knew I would probably never be hired for this, I nodded.

"All right, well, here you have the information. It is on the third floor, the first door on your right. Mr Miller will be there to interview you. I must tell you that we are expecting a few more people for this job interview and they will come today." She wished me good luck and I made my way to the third floor.

I told myself that this was more or less the same job, only for the actual Mr Cullen, instead of his assistant, Mrs Clark. Only, I could deal with a good-natured, old lady and a powerful and attractive business man was a completely different case.

I had seen pictures of him in some fancy business magazine. I had read it for this job interview, because I couldn't come in, completely unprepared and unaware of the mind behind this company.

Mr Edward Cullen was the son of the man, Mr Carlisle Cullen, who had set up this company. Edward Cullen was in charge of the part of the company in Britain, his father in the USA.

The magazine I had read had provided me with a charming picture of Edward Cullen. I had been quite surprised, but hadn't paid any more attention to it. I had thought that, if I would get the job (Mrs Clark's assistant), I would hardly ever see Edward himself. However, knowing that if I would get the alternative job, I would be _his_assistant and I would probably see him a lot more than I had imagined.

I took a deep breath and quickly knocked on the door, before I would get too scared and run away.

A deep voice told me to come in and I opened the door, seeing a forty-something year old man sitting behind a large desk. The room was relatively small and had two small windows that faced a busy street. A plant was placed in the corner, but had died a long time ago. A few meaningless pictures of beaches and woods hung upon the originally white wall, which had turned a sort of dirty yellow colour. The carpet was a faded dark blue.

I took a seat in a chair that was quite new, which made it seem completely out of place in this room.

I wasn't sure if he expected me to start talking, but I decided to wait until he started, thinking it rude to start myself.

"So, Mrs Swan?" he asked in a hoarse voice, which indicated he had a slight cold or just had a hoarse voice by nature.

"_Ms_ Swan, yes." He seemed a bit taken aback and unpleasantly surprised. I blushed slightly and looked at the floor. I wondered why he had assumed I was married. I was, after all, only twenty-seven years old.

"Of course. Now, I heard you initially came for the job of Mrs Clark's assistant, am I right, _Ms_ Swan?"

"Yes, that's right. But I have heard that, unfortunately, she…Mrs Clark has had a stroke and won't be returning."

"Yes, I know," he said slowly, making me feel embarrassed. "Well, have you had any experience of this kind?"

"No, I haven't. I finished my study a year ago and have been searching for a job for the last few months."

"What study, Ms Swan?" he asked, sounding as if he hardly believed I hadn't told him immediately. I was slightly hesitant to tell him, because it was completely unfit for the job I was applying for.

"I studied English Language and Literature at Oxford," I told him. He nodded with a knowing smile. I had a feeling what he might be thinking: that's why she hasn't found a job yet. I gave him a tight smile, realising I couldn't be sure he was thinking that.

"And what made you apply for this job?"

"Well, it seemed like a very interesting job. I think I can gain a lot of experience from working at such a large company." He didn't seem to believe me completely, but nodded anyway and wrote something down on the notepad in front of him. The light on the ceiling flickered and my head snapped up. I realised I had been fumbling with my hands and that I was slightly nervous.

"May have I look at your résumé, Ms Swan?"

"Of course," I said quickly and I bent over and rummaged through my work bag until I found it. I handed it over to him, watching him curiously as he started reading. I watched him intently and noticed every slight change of his facial expression. They weren't extremely positive, but not that bad either. I felt slightly relieved that the worst part of the job interview was over and I relaxed a bit.

He nodded and wrote a few things down, before handing me back my résumé.

"Thank you, Ms Swan, that's all," he said, before standing up and opening the door.

"Thank you, Mr Miller," I said and I left the room.

I let out a big breath as he had closed the door and I leaned against the wall. I quickly stood up straight as I noticed a woman, about my age, standing opposite of me. She gave me an annoyed look and knocked on the door out of which I had just came. She was let in and I could hear how she told Mr Miller that she also wanted to apply for the job as Mr Cullen's assistant. I knew it was bad to listen, but I couldn't help myself. I kept looking around the hall way, as I listened to the beginning of the conversation.

It seemed Mr Miller was being nicer to her, but that could've been imagined by me. She was about to tell him about her university and study, as I heard footsteps coming my way. They were coming from the elevator, the way I needed to go, and I casually walked towards them, quietly hoping the person wouldn't think my presence was anything noticeable.

The footsteps were close as I walked around the corner. I was about to look around into the hall way, as I suddenly collided into something, or rather, someone, and stumbled backwards. My bag fell on the floor, but, thankfully, stayed closed. The person picked up my bag, apologized and handed it back to me. I took it and looked up. My eyes went big as I realised it was Edward Cullen, but I quickly regained my composure and took a step back, also apologizing.

"That's fine, good day," he said and he walked away. I watched him until he went around the corner and then made my way towards the elevator. My cheeks were bright red and I was glad to see the elevator was empty.

That was embarrassing, I thought miserably. I shook my head, pressed the button and felt how the elevator started moving.

Once I reached the ground floor, I smiled towards the lady behind the desk and left the building, glad it was over.

My good friend, Alice Brandon, called and I filled her in on the details. We promised to meet at our usual bar. My other friend, Rosalie Hale, would also come.

I made my way towards the subway and went to the bar. As I arrived, I noticed I was the first one, and I searched for a good table. I sat down and the waitress was already walking towards me, probably astonished I even dared to sit down at a table _on my own_, as Rosalie walked in and spotted me. She sat down at the table and I noticed how the waitress smiled, as if she finally understood. I rolled my eyes and smiled towards Rosalie.

"Hi Rose, how are you?"

"Fine, thanks. So, how was the job interview? I have to admit, Alice already told me something about it when she called me, but I would like to hear it from you anyway."

"It was… all right. The man that interviewed me, Mr Miller, seemed to take a dislike towards me from the second I walked in. The interview went fine, though. I don't think he thought me suitable, but it wasn't a complete humiliation either."

"Have a bit of faith. Who knows, perhaps he thought you were perfect. Just wait until you get a call, then you can be as pessimistic as you like." I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Thank you for allowing that," I said sarcastically.

"Come on, Alice and me have to take care of you at least a little bit."

"I can take care of myself perfectly fine, thank you," I snapped. She didn't seem to be bothered by it as she continued.

"Of course you can, sweetie. But friends always look out for each other. You and Alice look out for me. You and me look out for Alice. That's the way it goes. Now, what do you want to drink? Or shall we wait for Alice. I mean, we already know what she wants to order," she said, dismissing the subject.

"Let's just – oh wait, there she is," I said, as I saw Alice walking in. She waved and made her way towards us.

"Hi there!" she said, smiling broadly as she sat down, placing two shopping bags on the chair next to her. I eyed it questioningly.

"You went shopping?" I asked. She gave me a isn't-that-obvious?-look and I laughed at her.

"I didn't buy much, just a pair of shoes and two shirts." She picked up the menu, quickly looked at it and put it down.

"It's a bit early for wine, don't you think?" she asked, looking at the clock, which told us it was two o'clock.

"Yes, I think it is. Perhaps we can order a smoothie?" Rosalie suggested.

"That would be delicious," I said.

"Strawberry?" Rosalie asked. Alice and I nodded and smiled at her. The waitress came over and took our orders.

"Guys, Jasper asked me to go with him to Paris for a weekend. How romantic is that?" Alice squealed. Jasper Whitlock had been Alice's boyfriend for two years and they had been inseparable since the moment they met.

"Alice, that's great!" I said.

"Wow, that's fantastic," Rosalie said, simultaneously with me. Alice beamed and smiled proudly.

"Emmett would never suggest that," Rosalie said, not looking that sad about it. She and Emmett had been dating for a few months. Emmett was a huge guy, but very kind and funny when you got to know him. Their relationship was quite… physical, but they loved each other a lot. Rose was right though, I couldn't see Emmett suggesting a romantic trip to Paris.

"My boyfriend wouldn't either," I said jokingly. I didn't have a boyfriend. I had only had a boyfriend during college. The relationship had lasted a year, but in the end, it didn't work out at all and we split up. I didn't miss a relationship that bad, but with Alice and Rosalie telling me their wonderful stories, I did seem too long for a relationship sometimes.

"I know you will find someone soon, Bells," Alice said encouragingly. I gave her an incredulous look.

"She's right, Bella," Rosalie said.

"Well, that would be fantastic. Anyway, I have yet to mention the fact I met Edward Cullen today." Both Rosalie and Alice started smiling broadly as they heard me.

"Well, not exactly 'met', we just… collided," I told them, chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"I was walking away from the interview and as I got around the corner, I just bumped into Edward. Thankfully, I didn't fall and neither did he. But it was pretty embarrassing. We just apologized and both walked away," I said. They did seem slightly disappointed, but were still smiling.

"What I wouldn't give to bump into Edward _Cullen_," Rosalie said. Alice agreed with her.

"You know that I went for the job as Mrs Clark's assistant, right?" They both nodded. "Well, the poor woman has had a stroke and won't be returning, so I applied for her job," I told them. They reacted nicely, but didn't seem very excited. I smiled inwardly as I continued. "Her job was Mr Cullen's assistant." As soon as I had said it, they squealed and laughed.

"So, you're telling us that there's a slight chance you will be Edward's assistant?" Rosalie asked. I frowned jokingly as she said 'slight', but nodded as she finished.

"That would be amazing, Bells," Alice said. I agreed and saw the waitress coming our way. She handed us the smoothies and walked away.

As I drank my smoothie, I wondered how long it would take for the company to react about the job. Would they be interviewing a lot of people? I assumed so, it was quite an important job. I could hardly imagine myself as Edward's assistant and was fairly convinced they wouldn't take me, but I was still excited, knowing there was at least a small chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

A few weeks later, I finally got a call from Cullen Inc.. I was sitting on the couch in my small livingroom, as the phone started ringing. I got up and rushed towards it.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, is this Ms Bella Swan?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes, this is she."

"I am calling about your job interview at Cullen Inc.. Mr Miller, he interviewed you, has made his decision. He wants you for the job." I stood there silently for a few short moments, blinking as I tried to understand what the person had said.

He wanted me? That couldn't possibly be true. I wasn't fit for the job at all, I'm sure he interviewed someone else who was better than me. But he chose me. Well, that was great.

"Thank you, this is fantastic."

"Yes, well, you have to start next week, if that is possible. My colleague will call you up for some further information. Goodbye," he said and hung up. I put the phone down and a big smile spread across my face. I was hired! I squealed and made a clumsy pirouette.

I laughed as I heard my stomach rumble and I prepared lunch for myself.

I sighed as I realised that I was going to be Edward Cullen's assistant, but that I didn't have any experience or knowledge. How was I going to assist him in running Cullen Inc., when this was my first job ever? I was trained for writing and analysing books, trained for understanding the English language. He couldn't possibly use any of my help.

I sighed and poured myself a cup of tea. I needn't worry so much, they had hired me for a reason. Perhaps the few skills I had, were the ones they were looking for.

Oh, I do hope he won't remember me from when we bumped into each other, I thought suddenly.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and I put my tea down. I walked towards the door and opened it.

"Hi Bella!" Alice exclaimed.

"Hello, Bella," Jasper said, chuckling as he looked at Alice, who was bouncing up and down.

"Come in," I told them and I stepped aside. I quickly made some tea for them too and we sat down in the living room.

"How are you?" I asked them.

"We're fine, thank you. We came to visit you, because we wanted to tell you that this weekend, we'll be going to Paris!" Alice squealed. I smiled as I saw them looking at each other.

"This weekend? That's great!" I told them, feeling slightly sad that Alice wasn't going to be there when I had to prepare for my first job.

"Yes, we will leave Friday night with the plane and return Sunday evening," Jasper told me, still smiling.

"How wonderful, have you ever been to Paris before?" I asked him.

"No, this will be my first time, so I'm quite excited," he said, taking Alice's hand and squeezing it gently.

"Oh, Bella, now that I think of it. You haven't heard anything from Cullen Inc. yet?"

"I have, a few minutes before you arrived. I'm hired!" I said, grinning. They both congratulated me and Alice got up to hug me.

"Seriously? Why didn't you say so the second we walked in?" she asked.

"Well, you started talking about Paris and I didn't want to claim all the attention," I explained.

"Oh, nonsense. You should have," she said.

"This is important for you and we don't mind not having all the attention," Jasper said, chuckling.

"All right. Well, I got a call and they told me I was hired, that's pretty much it."

"When do you have to start?" Jasper asked.

"Next week, Monday," I told them, seeing Alice's face fall.

"Oh, but then I can't help you get dressed," she said softly.

"I can dress myself Alice. And you'll be in Paris! Don't be so sad," I told her.

"Yes, you're right. I'll write down what I think you should wear."

"That's really not necessary, Alice," I said.

"Of course it is. Now, what shall we do for dinner?"

"We could call Rosalie and Emmett," Jasper suggested. We agreed and I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Rosalie asked as she answered the phone.

"Hi, Rose. Alice, Jasper and I were just wondering what you and Emmett were going to do for dinner."

"We haven't planned anything yet, we could go together?"

"Yes, that would be nice. Let's say, that nice French restaurant in one hour?"

"Sure, see you then," she said and hung up. I put the phone down and turned towards Alice and Jasper.

"We'll meet them at Savoir Faire in one hour," I told them. Alice immediately got up.

"Well, then I need to go now, if I only have one hour to prepare."

"Alice, you look fine," I told her, but she shook her head and grabbed her coat. Jasper stood up, giving me an apologetic glance and followed Alice.

I quickly changed into something more appropriate and, after an hour, made my way towards the restaurant.

Not surprisingly, Alice and Jasper weren't there yet. However, I did see Rosalie and Emmett sitting at a table. As the waitress asked whether I had made a reservation or not, I pointed at them and explained. She nodded and I walked towards them.

"Good evening," I said.

"Good evening to you too. Something good happened?" Rosalie asked. I shot her a quizzical look, how could she know?

"You're positively beaming," she said, laughing.

"I'm hired as Edward's assistant," I told her. She smiled and congratulated me. Emmett looked at us with a slight confused look.

"Edward?"

"Edward Cullen, from Cullen Inc.," I told him. He understood and congratulated me too.

I thanked him and looked around the room, trying to see if Alice and Jasper had arrived yet, as my gaze landed on a slightly familiar shade of hair colour. I looked closely at it and gasped as I realised it was, in fact, Edward Cullen. He was in conversation with a young lady, who seemed to be enjoying it immensely, as she laughed loudly and put her hand on his arm.

She was quite beautiful, she had a nice shade of blond hair, blue eyes and pretty features. I saw how her long fingers caressed his arm and I looked away, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.

She suddenly looked up and looked at me, as if she had known I was watching her and knew what I had been thinking. There was a dark look in her eyes as she stared at me. Edward said something and she turned her attention back to him. I was quite shocked and didn't notice Rosalie asking me something until Emmett patted my shoulder. I turned back to look at them, a confused look still on my face. I saw their faces, looking at me with a quizzical expressions.

"It's nothing," I said casually, waving my hand in the air. Rosalie arched one eyebrow and looked at me. Before she could say something however, Alice and Jasper arrived and sat down.

"I think we should dedicate this meal to Bella's new job!" Alice said, as we all had ordered our food.

"And the fact you two are going to Paris," I said. We all agreed and lifted our glasses.

Our food arrived and we all started eating. We were talking about a few random things, as I suddenly noticed Alice looking at something behind me. I already knew what is was, she was looking at Edward. She caught my gaze and indicated with her head to look behind me. I nodded and smiled, indicating I already knew, and she smiled at me.

While we were finishing our main courses, I excused myself and walked towards the Ladies' room.

On my way, I almost bumped into a waiter and I quickly stepped back, now only an inch removed from the person sitting behind me. I turned around and was faced with slightly shocked looking Edward. He let out an unbelieving breath as he saw me. I quickly apologized and rushed away.

When I walked back to my table, I avoided his table, but still felt his gaze upon me. I sat down and Rosalie shot me a look and I realised she had seen what had happened. I shook my head, feeling miserable.

Monday at work, he would probably recognise me and fire me immediately. I sighed and ignored Rosalie's curious look.

The waitress came to take our empty plates and we all decided not to have a dessert. We split the check and left the restaurant. We all went to our own home.

I arrived home, took a quick shower and immediately went to bed. Lying in bed, I couldn't fall asleep and decided to read for a little while.

Eventually, I fell asleep, still worrying about my job.

The next day, I went over to Alice's apartment to help her pack for her trip to Paris.

As I arrived, I laughed as I saw Alice's entire wardrobe on her bed. She was looking quite stressed and thanked me profusely as I walked in.

"Thank god you're here!" she exclaimed. She rummaged through the pile of clothes and managed to find the skirt she was looking for. I watched her in awe, until she ordered me to help her.

"So, I need to fit all of my important clothes into these three suitcases," she said, pointing towards three enormous suitcases. I laughed, but stopped as she shot me a glare.

"And with important clothes, you mean…?"

"The clothes that are appropriate for Paris, the clothes I love and the clothes I need to bring along, just in case," she said matter-of-factly. I nodded and walked towards the three suitcases, only to see they were already quite full.

"How much more clothes do you need to fit in there?" I asked here, slightly hesitant.

"Well, I still need to do my dresses and a few things from this pile," she said, pointing towards the enormous pile of clothes on her bed.

"Do you think you've got enough space for that?" I asked her.

"I'm not sure, but that's why I asked you to come over," she told me. I gave her a slightly confused and hesitant look.

"You are going to put all the clothes that are already in the suitcases, in there again. Only, this time, you will fold them neatly and make sure that you use all of the space in the best way."

"And why do I need to do this?" I asked her.

"Because you are really good at folding clothes," she told me. I wasn't sure if that was the kind of compliment I was happy with.

"And why should I do it?" She stopped taking her dresses out of her closet as she looked at me.

"Because you are my best friend and you want to help me, of course," she said with big eyes.

"I see. Well then, let's get to work." She beamed and continued throwing dresses on her bed. I sighed deeply and started on the first suitcase. I picked up the clothes she had carelessly thrown into them and saw they weren't folded at all. She had just pressed them together into a messy ball of clothes. I started folding them and placed them next to the suitcase. Once I was finished with folding, I looked at the suitcase and figured out the best way to put the clothes in.

I put them in, one piece of clothing at a time, and when I had finished the first suitcase, was satisfied to see the space I had created. Before I had started on this suitcase, you could hardly put another piece of clothing in them, but now, you could easily fit in four dresses. Alice looked at it.

"That's amazing, Bells! Thanks for your help," she said. I looked at what she was doing and saw that she had already made a pile with a big amount of dresses.

"Alice, I do hope those are the dresses that you _aren't_ going to take to France," I said slowly. She looked at me, confused.

"There not that many, just a few necessary dresses. You can't expect me to go to France and not bring along any dresses." I sighed and looked at the large pile and then at the other two suitcases.

"Fine. I'll make as much space as I can, but I don't think you can bring along _all _of those dresses." She pouted, but didn't comment.

"Are you excited to spend an entire weekend alone with Jasper? And in Paris, too," I asked her. She stood up straight and looked at me with a happy smile on her face.

"God, I can't even explain how much I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be amazing. I do mind the fact, though, that I can't help you prepare for your job, but I've already decided what you should wear," she told me.

"Thank you, you shouldn't have," I said, meaning it literally. I could choose my own clothes perfectly fine, but it was nice that she wanted to help me.

"Now, you know I love talking to you, but I need to leave tomorrow evening and I need to get finished with packing today. So, if you wouldn't mind, let's continue," she said. I laughed and nodded, starting on the second suitcase. This one was even messier than the first one and it took me a while to fold all the clothes inside.

I placed them back and was, again, satisfied with the newly created space. Alice came up to me and dropped a load of dresses in front of me.

"Can you try to put these into the suitcases?" she asked me with big eyes.

"I'll try," I said, sighing. I first finished the third suitcases and then folded up the dresses. Alice was glad to see I could fit all of them inside the suitcases. She did have to make some effort to close them, but eventually, they were closed and we sat on the bed together, looking at the mess we had made. I thought about Alice in Paris and a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Alice, you know you're going to Paris, right?"

"Yes, I do…" she said slowly, confused.

"You also know that Paris is one of the best cities to shop, right?" I asked, watching how at first, she looked confused, then she understood and then she looked miserable.

"God, I have no space at all for new clothes," she whined.

"We could open the suitcases and take some clothes out of them," I suggested, but she didn't seem to like that idea very much.

"Then, perhaps, you could call Jasper and see how much space he has left. Maybe he can even take an extra suitcase with him." This time, she smiled at me.

"That's a great idea, I'll call him up right now," she said, reaching over her bed to grab the phone on her night stand.

"Hi, Jasper!" she said in an innocent voice. "Could you be a darling and check how much space you have left?" She didn't say anything for a long while. Suddenly she beamed and thanked him. She hung up and placed the phone back.

"Jasper says that he has more than enough space for the clothes I want to buy in Paris," she said.

"Are you sure he knows how much you are capable of buying in one weekend? Especially in Paris?" I asked. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure he is. Now, let's have some lunch, I'm absolutely famished."


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

On Friday, I went with Alice and Jasper to the airport. Their plane would depart at nine o'clock. We arrived at six o'clock – Alice didn't want to be too late – and sat down on the benches, waiting for their gate to be announced.

I looked at Alice, who was bouncing her leg up and down, impatiently glancing towards the screen every five seconds.

"Alice, that won't speed it up, you know," I told her, talking about the fact that she was intently staring at the screen.

"Oh, I know," she said, sighing.

"Do any of you want anything to eat or drink?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, a bottle of water and one of those sandwiches, please," Alice asked. I asked the same and Jasper walked away.

"I'm going to miss you, Bella," Alice said.

"It's only one weekend," I told her, as she hugged me. "You'll be doing so many great things in Paris, you will hardly ever think about me." She laughed and shook her head disbelievingly.

Jasper returned and gave us our sandwiches.

"Thanks, Jazz," I said and started eating. We hadn't eaten anything for a few hours and were all very hungry.

"Gate 6!" Alice suddenly exclaimed and I looked up at the screen, seeing that she was right. We quickly finished our sandwiches and I walked with them towards gate 6. When we arrived there, Alice turned around to say goodbye.

"Have a lot of fun in Paris!" I said, slightly jealous.

"We will, thank you. Good luck for Monday," Jasper said. They would be returning Sunday evening, but they would probably arrive really late and I would probably already be sleeping.

"Bye, I'll see you Monday afternoon," Alice said and they both walked away. I waved at them and then left the airport.

I spent the entire weekend feeling nervous. I had seen which clothes Alice had picked out and was satisfied with them. I knew not what to expect and was dreading Monday morning.

The fact I would have a regular income if he wouldn't fire me immediately, was a comforting thought, but it didn't calm me completely.

I got a call from Alice on Saturday afternoon, telling me how it was in Paris. They had done most of the tourist attractions and were having a lot of fun. I was glad for them and told her so. She promised to take a lot pictures for me and she told me she had already bought something for me in Paris.

"You shouldn't have!" I said, though I appreciated the thought and was slightly curious.

"Don't get me started on that. Anyway, I'll try to call you tomorrow, but just in case, good luck for Monday," she said. I thanked her and hung up.

I met up with Rosalie on Sunday morning. She 'desperately needed' to shop, because she had been bored the entire Saturday. I agreed to go, though I wasn't looking forward to shopping.

I met her at Oxford Street and we spent the entire afternoon walking from shop to shop. Rosalie had urged me to buy a few clothes and she had bought quite a lot herself. Eventually, she allowed us to go to a book store. We entered and immediately the smell of books calmed me. I sighed as the few bags in my hands bumped against a book case and I lifted them, feeling annoyed.

I walked towards a random book case and started browsing through the books. As I had found a few books, I saw Rosalie talking to the owner of the shop. It was an older lady, but she seemed really nice. They were having a conversation, but I couldn't hear what it was about.

I found a few more books and made my way towards them.

"I'm done, Rose," I told her. She looked up and smiled.

"All right. I was just talking to this lovely woman here, Mrs Davies." I introduced myself to her.

"Do you want to buy those books, dear?" she asked, pointing towards the books in my hand. I nodded and handed them to her. I paid for them and we left the store, after saying goodbye to Mrs Davies.

"She was such a nice lady," Rosalie said. I agreed and we decided to go _HMV_ next. Rosalie seemed a bit more excited to go there then she had been to go to the book store.

We entered the store and browsed through the CD's and DVD's.

We left the store without buying anything. It had gotten quite late, Rosalie told me it was already six o'clock. The stores were closing and Rosalie would be dining with Emmett. She took the subway to where she would meet Emmett and I returned home.

When I came home, I put the clothes I had bought in the closet and the books in the book case. I walked to the kitchen, wondering what I should cook for dinner. I opened the fridge and saw there wasn't that much to eat.

I decided to simply make spaghetti bolognese. I ate it while listening to the radio, feeling a bit lonely. It was ridiculous, because I ate on my own almost every work day.

When I had finished eating and had cleaned up the kitchen, I sat down in the living-room, mentally preparing myself for Monday. I knew what to bring along, what time to be there and when I could go home, because someone from the office had called me on Saturday.

I went to bed early, wanting to be completely rested the next day.

The following morning, I get up quite early, had breakfast and gathered all the stuff I needed to bring along. I took the subway to the office and when I arrived, saw that the same lady was behind the desk as when I had done my job interview. I greeted her and asked her what floor I needed to go to.

"Floor four, it's the cubicle that's in front of Mr Cullen's door. Your nameplate is being made and will be on your desk in a few days. Good luck on your first day. If you need anything, you can always ask me," she told me, smiling kindly. I was happy that I at least knew and got along with one person in the office. I looked at her nametag and saw she was called Madison Brooks. I thanked her and made my way towards the third floor, starting to feel nervous.

I quickly found my office and saw it was a simple but large cubicle. It had white walls – these were still white and hadn't turned yellow as in the room I had been interviewed in – and dark brown carpet. There was one large window on the right side of the wall and I could see a street. There weren't any paintings on the walls or plants on the floor yet. The desk was made of maple wood. There was a large, black desk chair behind it.

I sat down, placed my bag on the desk and realised I needed to buy a plant and perhaps some pictures or paintings.

The fourth floor – probably the other floors too – were open plan. The people in the other cubicles didn't take much notice of me.

I wondered if Edward was already in his office and I looked at the door behind me, where his office was. There weren't any windows through which I could look into the office and I didn't hear any sound, but I assumed he was in.

People were walking around, copying papers and writing things down, as I sat down and looked at them. I felt strangely out of place and I had no idea what to do.

There was a telephone on my desk through which Edward could pass me messages, but I hadn't had any yet. I picked up a pencil, put it back and sighed deeply.

I jumped up as I suddenly saw a red light on my telephone, next to the name Mr Edward Cullen. I picked up the phone with slightly trembling hands.

"Ms Swan, would you come in to my office, please," his voice asked me.

"Of course, Mr Cullen, I'll be right there," I said and I put the receiver down. I got up and walked to his door. I knocked on it and saw a few people turning their heads to look at me. I smiled politely, till I heard Edward's voice, telling me to come in. I opened the door and walked in.

He was sitting behind his desk, bent over a piece of paper. He was writing something down with a frown upon his face.

Without looking up, he pointed towards the chair on the opposite side of the desk and I sat down.

He didn't say anything for a while and I didn't dare to say anything to him. He eventually looked up and saw, as soon as he recognised me, how his eyes went big and surprise crossed his face. He quickly regained his composure.

"Ah, I see we've already met," he said in a cold voice. I wondered if he blamed me for bumping into him, almost twice.

"Yes," I said, not knowing how to react to what he had said.

"Well, nothing to do about that. I have a few tasks for you to do today." He handed me a large stack of papers and I took it from him. "If you wouldn't mind, I hope you can get as much of that done, today," he said, hardly looking at me. He turned back to the paper he had been writing on before. I wasn't sure if I should leave, but seeing he didn't seem to be going to say anything else and he was already writing again, I left the room.

I placed the stack of papers on my desk and sat down. I hadn't expected him to be quite like that, but I could understand. He was a busy man and didn't have time to get to know me. And perhaps he was also annoyed to know that I had bumped into him. Although, it would be unfair of him to dislike me because of that.

I started working on the stack of paper, glad to see I could handle most of it, only having to ask my colleagues for help a few times. When it was time to go home, I cleaned up my desk and picked up my coat.

I hadn't seen Edward since that morning and was slightly relieved. I wasn't very comfortable with his cold gaze. I was about to leave, as his door opened and he walked out.

His hair was dishevelled, as if he had been running his hand through it the entire day, and his tie hung loose on his neck. He had an exhausted expression on his face and it seemed to get worse as he saw me stumble, as I almost tripped over a leg of my chair.

I nodded politely, but didn't get anything in return, and I quickly made my way towards the elevator.

I tried to stop myself from sighing as he got into the same elevator as mine. The doors closed and we were the only two people in there.

"How was your first day?" he asked, clearly struggling to be polite.

"It was fine, thank you," I said.

"Good," he said curtly. He cleared his throat and looked at the buttons next to the elevator door. "Ms Swan, I'm not yet fully convinced you are the right assistant for me, but the other people who interviewed for the job were even more unfit. I hope you prove yourself to be useful and appropriate for this job. If not, I don't have another choice but to fire you," he said, not looking at me. I was about to reply, astonished he was so prejudiced, when the elevator doors opened and he walked away.

I huffed and also left the elevator. How could he say that? I had only worked here for one day. He didn't even have time to see if what I did was right or wrong. I admit, my résumé perhaps wasn't the best for this job, but that didn't mean I would be bad at it. He could've at least waited a few days before 'warning' me that he might fire me.

Of course, he did have to be very straightforward and business-like, he couldn't waste time being nice to the people he worked with.

I sighed, knowing he had every right to tell me what he had just told me. Even so, I felt an antipathy towards him that was, perhaps, not completely justified. I didn't even notice Madison smiling at me, as I left the building.

I took a deep breath and tried to remember where Alice and I had promised to meet. With everything going on, I groaned as I failed to remember the name of the place. I rummaged through my bag, trying to find my cell phone. I finally found it and called Alice. She didn't pick up and I dropped my phone back in my bag. I started walking away from the building.

I had to admit, this wasn't the best day of my life. The job was slightly disappointing, or perhaps it was better to say, my boss was a bit of a disappointment. And besides that, I didn't know where to meet Alice and she didn't answer her phone. I huffed and quickly looked away as someone walking past me gave me a strange look.

I decided to stop being so pessimistic and I put a smile on my face, albeit an artificial one.

I smiled at the people walking past me and continued to walk towards the centre of London, feeling convinced the place we would meet would be somewhere in the centre. After walking around for fifteen minutes, I tried to call Alice again. Thankfully, this time she did answer.

"Oh, hi, Bella! I was just about to call you. You didn't forget we had arranged to meet today? If you did, I can totally understand, you had some much to think about, with your new job and all…" she rambled.

"I didn't forget that we were to meet, but I hate to admit I did forget _where_ to meet." She laughed and assured me it was no big deal.

"Come to 'Quo Vadis', you know where that is, right?" I assured her that I did and I hung up.

'Quo Vadis' was an Italian restaurant where we had had lunch one time and it had been delicious. Now she had mentioned it, our conversation from Friday came back to me and I wondered how I could've forgotten it. Thankfully, the restaurant was in Soho and it only took me ten minutes to get there.

"Alice, it's so good to see you! Wow, you've got quite tan. Especially for only being in Paris for two days," I said, as I had arrived at the restaurant. She thanked me and smiled broadly.

"It was perfect! Jasper took care of everything. He had made reservations for both nights at two very good restaurants and besides that, he had made completely thought out what to do. I've never walked so much in two days before, but it was worth it. I've bought so much! I'll show you tonight, for I have decided to stay with you. That's fine, right?" I listened and smiled as she talked in a fast tempo, as if she wanted to tell me everything within one minute.

"Sure, that's fine. I would love that," I told her. "I do have to get up at eight o'clock, but you can just continue sleeping. I suppose you don't have to go to work tomorrow, right?"

"No, tomorrow I'm free. From Wednesday I have to work again." I nodded and picked up the menu.

"Do you remember last time we were here?" Alice said, smiling with a twinkle in her eye. I frowned slightly and thought back.

It had been a Saturday afternoon and after shopping for a while, we had come past this restaurant and, being absolutely famished, decided to go here. I wasn't sure why she was looking at me like that, but I suppose it was because of what had happened last time.

The waiter, a young boy, probably two years younger than me, had developed an instant crush on me, from the moment we walked in. We walked in and he got a red head and stammered and stumbled as he led us to our table. Unfortunately, because of that, he dropped my salad on my lap. He was extremely shocked and I was sure he would have started crying, had not his boss come towards us. He sent the boy away and helped me clean up. Eventually, we had a free meal, but it had been extremely embarrassing.

"Please, don't even mention it," I said, blushing slightly as I looked around the room, hoping he wasn't here at the moment. I sighed as I didn't see him and smiled as I looked at Alice.

"So, how was your…" Alice started saying, before she burst out laughing, after which she quickly threw her hand before her mouth, desperately trying to calm herself down. I frowned and saw her looking behind me. I was about to turn around as I heard the voice of the boy from last time. I looked around and saw his face, with its blue eyes piercing in mine, as his face turned slowly red. He immediately turned around and walked away.

Alice burst out laughing again and this time I joined her.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

The boy eventually did return, after his boss gave him a speech that even we could hear. He continued to have a red head during the evening and it slightly worried me. It couldn't be healthy. I mean, I also blushed a lot, but he was just being ridiculous.

He would take our orders and immediately rush away. In the end, Alice and I decided to just pay no attention him.

"Well, I have to admit, that was delicious. But I propose to go somewhere else the next time," I said, not wanting to encounter this boy – Mike Newton, as his name-tag said – again.

"I agree," she said, still sounding amused. We paid and went to my apartment. As we arrived, Alice and I sat down on the couch.

"Well Bella, tell me about your work. How was Edward Cullen?" she asked excitedly. I raised one eyebrow incredulously .

"The job's fine. Only... Well, Edward isn't the person I had expected him to be. When I first saw him, he was a bit moody and standoffish, although that is understandable, I suppose. And then in the elevator, he warned me that he didn't think I would be good for the job, but no one else had seemed better, so they had decided upon me. And that if I would turn out to be unsuitable, he would fire me immediately. I mean, why did he have to put it like that? I wouldn't assume he would keep me if I was unsuitable, but there's no need for him to actually warn me about that. And the way he said it, as if he assumed I would be out there within a week! God, I can't believe that man!" I yelled, feeling angry as I thought about today. Alice looked slightly surprised.

"Did he really say that? That's unbelievable! He had no right to do that. Well, besides the fact he is your boss, but you know what I mean." I nodded, looking at the wall opposite of me, trying to calm down.

"But you shouldn't let him bother you, Bella. You've finally got a job that is quite all right and just because the boss is a jerk, that doesn't mean you should quit. But I do understand your frustration." I smiled at her, feeling slightly calmed down.

"You're right. I'll be fine, but it's just annoying to have a boss like that. But who knows, perhaps it'll get better."

* * *

It didn't, I discovered the next morning. I had arrived before Edward and as he walked in, I already saw a frown on his face.

"Good morning, Mr Cullen," I said cheery, not letting him ruin my mood. He gave me a curt nod as he dropped a few papers on my desk.

"Done by the end of the afternoon,' he said. 'Please," he added, as he realised how rude it sounded. I nodded and grabbed the first paper.

"Of course, Mr Cullen." I knew how sarcastic I sounded as I tried to sound polite. He gave me a short glare, but then quickly looked away as he entered his office. I huffed and sat back on my chair. I didn't know how I was going to survive this.

A girl who was sitting behind the desk opposite of mine, smiled sympathetically.

"He's always like that with the new people. I suppose it's his way of testing if they are suitable. He will be fine in a few days," she said.

"Thank you. Was he like this to you?" I asked her. She shook her head and smiled.

"No, when I started working here, his father, Carlisle Cullen, ran this office. So when Edward… Mr Cullen came, he 'accepted' everyone who was already working here. But with every new person, he does the same thing he's doing to you. Although, it is much worse with you. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but he's usually only like this on the first day and then it's only half as bad as he is with you. I don't really know what is going on with him," she said, smiling sympathetically again. I thanked her and sighed as I looked at the computer screen in front of me.

Why was he like that? Even she – I didn't know her name yet – admitted it was weird. Why had he taken an instant disliking towards me? I was now completely convinced it wasn't because I bumped into him, no sane person would be mad about that. But then again, perhaps he wasn't a sane person. I chuckled slightly and started working.

During the day, he only left his office during lunch. He was having a conversation with someone I didn't know. They seemed to be arguing, but they kept it silent and no one noticed. Of course, I did notice, because I was paying attention to him. I wasn't sure why. I suppose I just wanted to find out why he was acting like this. But so far, I hadn't discovered it yet. I took a sip from my coffee and began a conversation with Madison, the woman who worked behind the desk in the lobby.

"So, do you like it here?" she asked me.

"I'm enjoying the job, although it isn't exactly my dream job," I said, wanting to be honest. She nodded and seemed to understand.

"Yes, I see. It isn't mine either, but once I started here, I enjoyed it and never really searched for a new job." Somehow, this made me feel slightly scared. I didn't want to be stuck here forever. This was just a job to have an income, but this wasn't what I wanted to to for the rest of my life. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet, perhaps I could be an editor, if I tried really hard.

I realised I hadn't answered her yet and I quickly smiled.

"I see. And you have never wondered what you may have reached had you actually done the job you wanted to do?"

"I do, all the time. But I'm settled now and I'm fine where I am. Some days I do regret it, but other days I don't at all. My dream job is working with children, but I have got a child of my own, so I'm content with that." I smiled at her.

"Really? How old is he or she?"

"She is seven years old, Emily," she said proudly.

"That's fantastic. Some day I also want to have children," I told her.

"Really? Do you have a husband, or a boyfriend?" she asked. Someone coughed as if he choked on his drink and I saw Edward, still standing next to the person he had been talking to, and it seemed he was the one who coughed. As I looked at him, he quickly looked away, with a look as if he had been caught. Had he been listening? I raised one eyebrow and looked at Madison questioningly. She had the same look on her face.

"But, no, I don't have a boyfriend or husband," I told her. I stole a glance at Edward and saw he was looking at us again, with an interested look upon his face. As he saw me looking at him, the slightest blush spread across his face as he looked away. I smiled slightly; he _did_ have feelings.

I finished lunch and everyone returned to their place and continued working.

Edward came by my desk to pick up the papers and I noticed how he avoided eye-contact. I tried to get him to speak, but he stubbornly gave short answers and left as soon as he could. I didn't see him for the rest of the day.

By the end of the day, I went downstairs with the elevator, this time without Edward. I went home and made myself a quick meal. Alice had left sometime in the afternoon, she had left a note telling me she had gone to her own apartment.

I went to bed early, feeling positively exhausted. I had only had two days at work yet, and, if I was to follow the same way as Madison, had many years to go. I sighed at that prospect, feeling slightly sad.

After I had finished college, I was convinced my life would be so exciting and amazing, but so far, it hadn't. I hadn't had a boyfriend, at least, not after my boyfriend from college, and my career wasn't going that well either. Luckily, I did have great friends. I went to bed with a slightly bad mood, but I knew that it would be better in the morning.

As I woke from the sun shining in my eyes, I looked at the clock and saw my alarm would go off in ten minutes. I turned it off and got out of bed. I felt slightly disoriented and then I remember yesterday and groaned.

The day started the same as yesterday. I saw Edward arrive, only this time, he wasn't frowning. I decided to see in what mood he was.

"Good morning, Mr Cullen," I said, smiling as he walked past. He blinked twice as he looked at me.

"Good morning," he eventually mumbled. I smiled even wider as he entered his office. I chuckled, not sure why I was in such a good mood suddenly.

Emma, the girl who had kindly informed me about Edward's behaviour yesterday, smiled as she heard me chuckle.

"It seems he is finally getting better," she said. I agreed, looking slightly exasperated.

"It's about time," I told her. She agreed and we started working.

Edward called me a few times on the phone to give me orders, but besides that, we didn't have any contact that day.

The entire week went by in the same manner. Edward was saying 'good morning' now and then, but overall, he was still quite moody. I tried to keep as cheery and polite as possible, but sometimes he would annoy me and I would get quite moody too.

On Friday, I was sitting at my desk, as Edward came out of his office.

"Ms Swan, could you arrange a flight for me. I need to go to New York this Saturday, preferably at around ten o'clock in the morning." I tried to hide my curiosity as I nodded. He walked away towards the elevator and discussed something with someone I didn't know.

I quickly booked his flight and wrote down the specifics for him, which I handed to him as he walked past me once again.

"Thank you," he mumbled incoherently. My eyes widened as I heard him say that. It was a bit unfair towards him, but I hadn't expected him to thank me for something. He seemed surprised to see me surprised, but then he seemed to realise something and he frowned and quickly walked away.

Why would he need to go to New York? Probably for his father's business. I cleaned up my desk as I saw it was time to go home.

I was glad as I realised it was weekend. Edward's behaviour had slightly improved over the week, but if continued to go at this pace, it would take three years before he would properly greet me in the morning.

I would meet Rosalie and Emmett for dinner, so I went home to get changed.

As I was getting dressed, I suddenly thought about Edward. Was he now at home packing for New York? I sighed and told myself not to think about him.

I put on a simple, black dress and curled my hair slightly. I was a disaster when it came to make-up and hair, but I still put on a little make-up.

I left my apartment and made my way towards Rosalie and Emmett.

"Hi!" I said and sat down. They greeted me and smiled broadly. I raised one eyebrow as I saw the twinkle in their eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked them. They didn't say anything and I was about to say something when Rosalie suddenly stuck out her hand in front of my face. First, I was confused and looked at it with a frown upon my face. Then I focused and saw the engagement ring on her finger. I squealed and got up to hug her.

"I can't believe it! You're engaged!" I screamed, quickly blushing as people smiled and started clapping. I let go of Rosalie and gave Emmett a quick hug.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Rosalie said, looking extremely happy, just as Emmett.

"Do Jasper and Alice know?" I asked them.

"No, we wanted to tell them tonight, but they couldn't come. So we will tell them tomorrow afternoon," Emmett told me.

"Don't tell them yet, please," Rosalie asked. I assured her I wouldn't.

"How did he ask you?" I asked.

"He put it in my pudding," she told me. I immediately burst out laughing. "You see, he offered to make pudding. That already made me suspicious. And then we had dinner and he brought the pudding, which actually looked quite good. Then I saw the ring in there and screamed and threw my arms around me. When I had let him go, he took the ring, went down on one knee and asked me. Of course, I shouted out 'Yes'." Emmett was beaming as he listened to Rosalie. I was incredibly happy for them and continued to congratulate them throughout the evening.

The next day, I woke up quite early and stayed in bed for a while. I suddenly remembered that Edward was now at the airport, about to go to New York. I wondered if he would be back on Monday and, to my annoyance, I realised that I hoped he would be. Even though he was quite rude to me, I still was starting to take a liking to him. In some weird way, I liked to see how he was trying very hard to be polite. It was still a mystery to me why was acting like that, but I was starting to accept it and make the best of it. It was always much more to fun to tease people who were grumpy and annoyed than people who were in a good mood. I chuckled as I thought that and got out of bed.

I ate breakfast and was wondering if Rosalie had already told Alice and Jasper about her engagement. Our conversation of last night came back to me and I started to smile, as I realised two of my best friends would marry. Alice would probably go crazy when she would hear.

I remembered that we once had had a conversation with the tree of us. We had reached the subject of marriage and Alice had made us promise that if we would ever get married, she would be the one that could plan the whole wedding.

I was absolutely sure that she hadn't forgot that yet and she would definitely get her way and be allowed to plan the wedding. Not that Rosalie would mind; when we had made the promise, we knew that Alice was amazing at those things and that she would do a wonderful job.

I supposed Alice didn't know yet, because if she did, she probably would have called me, just to scream into my ear for a few minutes and then tell me her plans for the wedding.

I finished my breakfast and called Alice. She answered quite normal, at least, for her, so I was now sure she hadn't heard yet. I asked her if I could come over and she told me I could come. I told her I would be there in half an hour and we hung up.

I hoped that Rosalie would call when I would be there, I would love to see her reaction. I put on my coat and left my apartment. Just as I got into the subway, Edward entered my thoughts again. I sighed, feeling slightly annoyed about it and I told myself to think about something else. I remembered the rude comments he had made and slowly I started to realise that the fact I was starting to like him as a friend, was just a foolish thing, which would be over in a few days.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

I arrived at Alice and Jasper's apartment and Jasper opened the door for me.

"Good morning!" I exclaimed, grinning broadly. Jasper raised one eyebrow with a suspicious look.

"You are awfully cheery this morning," he said, as he let me inside.

"I'm just in a good mood. Hello, Alice!" I said as I saw Alice sitting on the couch in the living room. She waved and smiled, also slightly weary.

I gave them a reassuring smile and sat down. My eyes glanced at the phone and a small smile spread across my face. Before they could ask, I started asking how their day had been.

We continued this light-hearted conversation for about an hour. Alice was about to say something as the phone finally rang. I sighed, hoping it was Rosalie or Emmett. I watched Alice as she answered the phone. The moment she said 'Hi, Rose,' I smiled and leaned closer to her.

She was silent as Rose was talking and suddenly Alice started screaming and dancing around on the spot where she was standing, for she was still holding the phone. Jasper looked surprised and questioned me.

"You'll hear," I told him, smiling as I watched him looking at me.

"This is why you were so happy right?" I nodded and we both looked at Alice again. She had now calmed down a bit and she gave me an accusing look. I shrugged and giggled.

Alice talked to Rosalie for a while and then hung up.

"Jasper, you'll never guess what Rose just told me! They're getting married!" Alice squealed, as she sat back down again. She was jumping up and down on the couch with an excited look in her eyes.

"Rosalie and Emmett?"

"Of course Rosalie and Emmett!" Alice said, shaking her head and smiling incredulously.

"That's fantastic! We should go over there tomorrow to congratulate them."

"Yes, we should. Bella, would you like to come along?" Alice asked me.

"I would love to. What time do you think of going?"

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose around three o'clock. I'll call Rosalie back this afternoon to see if that's fine with her."

* * *

"Bella, do you want to stay here for dinner?" Jasper asked me, a little while later that day.

"Yes, absolutely. I have nothing left in my fridge, so I think I'll go shopping tomorrow morning, before we go to Rose." Alice had already called Rosalie and she had told us that three o'clock would be perfect.

Surprisingly, Jasper made the dinner for us and Alice and I stayed in the living room.

"So, Bella, did anything happen at work this week that is worth mentioning?" Alice asked me.

"Edward asked me to book a flight for him to New York. He left this morning."

"Do you know why?"

"I have absolutely no idea. Although the most logical thing seems to me that he just went to New York to help his father."

"Yes, I suppose so. Has he been grumpy during the week?" she asked, chuckling.

"He has, a bit. It is getting better slightly, but it's still worrying. Oh, I suddenly remember. During lunch, I was talking to Madison and somehow we got to the subject of me not having a boyfriend. Well, I told her this and heard Edward choke on his drink and, as I turned around, I saw him looking at me. I suppose it is nothing, but I just remembered it and thought you might like to know," I told her. I saw her frowning as she was thinking.

"Hmm, his behavior is a bit strange and suspicious. I wish I could see it for myself, so I can make an accurate observation." I burst out laughing as she was saying this, with a serious look upon her face. As I started laughing, she shot me a confused look. "I wasn't joking, you know. "

"I'm sure you'll get the opportunity to observe him sometime." She nodded and sipped from her wine.

"Guys, dinner is ready," we heard Jasper say from the kitchen. We got up and helped Jasper with putting everything on the table.

"Thanks, Jazz. It looks delicious," I told him. Alice agreed and gave him a quick kiss.

I stayed there for another few hours and eventually went home and almost immediately fell asleep. I was looking forward to seeing Alice go crazy about the wedding. I had already bought a few wedding magazines to bring along to Rosalie, and I had also seen a few magazines at Alice and Jasper's apartment.

I got up quite early, just so I could so some grocery shopping before I would go to Rosalie and Emmett.

I went to the shop and quickly bought some groceries, so I would have enough for at least this week.

I stood on my tiptoes as I tried to grab something from the top shelf. I almost had it, when the cardboard boxes all fell down, a few of them on my head. I quickly sheltered my head with my hands and waited for it to stop. Eventually it did and I looked at the damage I had done.

Quite a few boxes had fallen down, but, luckily, none of them had broken or been severly damaged. As I was wondering how I could ever get those back up there, I heard a deep voice behind me.

"Let me help you with that." I quickly spun around and saw a tall man standing in front of me with a big grin. He had slightly brown skin and long, black hair. He was very muscular and had bright white teeth.

I blushed and thanked him as he easily put all the boxes on the top shelf.

"No problem," he said, still grinning. I estimated him at about the same age as me.

"I'm Bella," I said, smiling back at him.

"Jacob," he said.

"Thank you, again, for that. I'm quite clumsy," I told him, chuckling.

"That's fine. Have you got what you needed?" he asked me. I looked in my trolley and saw that he had put every box back, but that I actually needed one for myself. I told him this and he reached over and grabbed one box and handed it to me.

"Thanks." He smiled widely again and leaned on his trolley.

"It was nice meeting you," I told him and I was about to turn around to leave. His smile suddenly got a bit smaller and I thought I saw a slight blush on his cheeks. He suddenly seemed at least five years younger.

"May I have your number?" he asked softly. I smiled at him as I wondered if that would be a good idea. I told myself to be at least a bit adventurous and I gave him my number, after which he gave me his. We said goodbye and I left the store, after paying for my groceries.

I smiled widely as I put the groceries in my car. My heart was still beating and I realised how exciting I had found it. I should really get out and date more, I told myself.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down and got in my car. I looked out of the window and saw Jacob leaving the store. He noticed me and waved. I waved back and started the car. He seemed like a really nice guy and it would be nice to go out with him. If that's what he would want, of course. Perhaps he just wanted my number so we could be friends. I sighed and decided to ask Rosalie and Alice's opinion.

I went home and put the groceries away in the kitchen and immediately went to Rosalie and Emmett's, when I saw I was already half an hour late.

I arrived there and saw Jasper's car on the drive. I walked up to the door and knocked. Inside I heard a lot of excited voices and it immediately made me excited. Emmett opened the door and let me in.

Everyone was gathered in the living room. I laughed as I saw all the magazines and books about weddings spread around Rosalie and Alice, who were sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room. They waved when they saw me enter and beckoned me over.

I noticed how Jasper and Emmett were sitting on the couch, talking and looking at the girls with an amused look.

"Bella! Look at this! Isn't this the most beautiful colour you've ever seen?" Alice exclaimed as I sat down beside them. I looked at the piece of fabric she was holding and saw it was a very soft colour, it seemed crème and light pink at the same time.

"That is absolutely gorgeous! What are you going to use it for?"

"We don't know yet, perhaps the tablecloths or the curtains," Rosalie said.

"Do you have a dress yet?" I asked her. She shook her head sadly.

"No, I have paged through these magazines, but none of them seem to be the one. And I do want the dress to be perfect."

"Yes, of course. Why don't we go shopping together next week and visit every shop where they might have a dress?" I suggested. Alice and Rosalie were quiet as they looked at me. They were looking amazed, surprised and confused at the same time.

"Wait, hold on. _You're_ suggesting to go shopping? What's wrong with the universe?" Alice exclaimed, looking towards the sky.

"What? I just want Rosalie to have the perfect dress," I told them. Rosalie smiled widely and threw her arms around me.

"You don't know how much it means to me to know that you wouldn't mind going shopping just so I will get a dress. Thank you," she said. I laughed and hugged her back. Was I really that bad when it came to shopping? I wondered.

"Do you have a date for the wedding yet?"

"Also no. Although I do know that I want it to be in the summer," Rosalie told me. Alice nodded, agreeing. I suddenly thought of something.

"Who is going to be your maid of honour?" I asked, slightly weary. Rosalie looked up, slightly shocked.

"I forgot about that," she said softly.

"I think Alice should be your maid of honour. After all, she will be the one who will have to suffer to get the wedding arranged in time."

"No," Alice said quickly. "Bella should be the maid of honour. If I'm planning the wedding, I won't have time to also be the maid of honour. And even if I could, Bella should be involved too. She would make the perfect maid of honour, don't you think?" Alice asked Rosalie.

"I think she would be great," she said, smiling at me. "Well then, Bella, will you be my maid of honour?" she asked.

"Of course I will," I told her. "Thank you, Alice." She waved it off and smiled at me.

"Guys, I need to tell you something, although I hate to take the attention off Rosalie," I said, suddenly. Rosalie dismissed this as she leaned forward with a curious expression. "I went grocery shopping this morning and after a whole load of boxes had fallen down because of me, this guy, Jacob, helped me pick them up and asked me for my number," I said quickly.

"What did you do?" Alice asked.

"I gave it," I said shyly. Alice and Rosalie both squealed. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper and Emmett exchange a confused look.

"Really? That's great!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"But what do you think he wanted? Did he wanted to be friends with me, or to perhaps go out with me?" I asked.

"Go out with you, of course!" Alice said.

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, absolutely," Rosalie said, determined.

* * *

The next day, I was working at my desk, when I suddenly heard someone on heels walking in my direction. I looked up and saw the girl I had seen with Edward at the restaurant walking towards Edward's office. She had put her long, blond hair in a bun and was wearing business-like clothes. Wearing her heels, she was very tall and slightly intimidating. I watched her pass by and for a short moment her eyes crossed mine. A look of recognition flashed in her eyes, only to be replaced by haughtiness, after which she quickly looked away and ignored me as she entered his office.

Why would she enter his office? Perhaps she wasn't his sister or girlfriend, but just someone he worked with. I ignored the fact that I was feeling slightly relieved as I thought that and concentrated on the hallway from which she had come. Would Edward be back from New York? Or did she come here on her own and was she allowed to just walk in and out of his office?

I leaned towards the door of his office slightly, trying to hear anything, but I didn't.

I sighed and continued my work, although I couldn't quite concentrate.

After a while, she left his office. She didn't look at me and left through the hallway she had come from.

About an hour later, I was surprised when I saw her walking in again. Only this time, Edward was walking by her side. She was chatting to him and he was nodding, looking slightly absent.

As he saw me, a look crossed his face, which I couldn't quite describe. Anyway, it made my heart beat faster and a blush spread across my face. I looked down and heard them pass me by and enter his office again.

How come he made me feel like that, when he had been nothing but rude? I shook it off and made myself concentrate on work.

However, within a few minutes, the woman left his office with an annoyed look upon her face and she stormed off. I watched her go and then turned back to look at the Edward's office. She had left his door open and through it, I saw Edward sitting behind his desk with a slightly hopeless look upon his face. He saw me watching him and quickly stood up to close the door. I frowned and looked back at my desk. Opposite of me, Emma was also looking confused at Edward's door. We shared a look and then went back to work.

At the end of the day, Edward left his office. He was about to walk past me, but somehow I felt the need to talk to him. So I blurted out, "How was your trip, Mr Cullen?". He had already walked passed me and now whirled around, looking surprised.

"It was… interesting, thank you," he said.

"Did you return this morning?" I asked. He seemed uncomfortable and he was looking around, as if looking for an excuse to leave. I smiled inwardly.

"Yes, I did…" We were both silent for a while and looked at him expectantly, making him realise it was his turn to ask or say something. It seemed as if it was very hard for him to have a normal conversation.

"Did you have a… nice weekend?" he asked, frowning slightly as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, it was wonderful. My friends are getting married this summer," I said, secretly enjoying the fact he was feeling so uncomfortable. It was a sort of revenge for him acting so rude and, besides that, it was just fun to tease him.

"Really? Congratulations," he said. I decided it was enough and smiled politely.

"Thank you. Goodbye," I said and watched how relief crossed his face as he turned around and quickly walked away.

Emma burst out laughing after he had gone.

"That was hilarious, you could just see him squirming. He's so bad at social things." I agreed and chuckled.

"Emma, do you know the woman he was with?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, although I have seen her here a few times. A few times they seemed to get on really well, but sometimes, just as today, they seemed to be having some sort of fight," she told me.

I nodded thoughtfully and started gathering my stuff.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said to Emma and I saw she was also getting ready to go.

I smiled as I thought back to the conversation I had with Edward. My job was getting more and more fun, I realised.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

The next week, I was watching TV in my living-room, when suddenly my phone rang. I put my drink down and hurried towards the phone.

"Hello?" I asked, still watching TV from the corner of my eye.

"Hello, is this Bella? It's Jacob." I silently gasped as I heard him and turned away from the television.

"Hi, yes, this is Bella. Jacob, how are you?" I stammered, noticing how I was blushing, even though I was alone.

"I'm fine, thanks. How are you?"

"I'm great," I said, immediately wondering if that was the right thing to say. Wouldn't it have been better if I had just said 'fine' too?

"Good to hear. So, I was wondering if perhaps you would like to have dinner with me sometime?" I felt my heart speed up and I involuntarily started grinning.

"Yes, I would love to."

"Great, are you free this Friday?"

"Yes, that would be perfect," I told him. We arranged a time to meet and we hung up. I smiled and immediately rang Alice.

"Alice, you'll never believe what just happened!"

"What?" she asked, immediately excited.

"Jacob called and asked me out!"

"That's amazing! Wait, I have an idea, meet me at Michelangelo's in one hour for some lunch. I'll call Rosalie too," she said and hung up.

I put the phone down and turned off the TV, after which I went to my room to get ready. I quickly took a shower and then put on some nice clothes.

I still had half an hour and decided to kill the time by reading. I grabbed the book that was lying on my night-stand and sat down on a chair in the living-room.

I was so engrossed in the story, that when I finally stopped reading, I looked at the clock and saw I was supposed to be there already. So, I quickly put my book away, grabbed my coat and hurried over to the restaurant.

Once I got there, I noticed Alice and Rosalie sitting at a table, deep in conversation. I carefully made my way through the aisles between the tables. I sat down on the empty seat and noticed how they had stopped their conversation and where silent.

"Hi, guys!" I said, not wanting an uncomfortable silence. They smiled and seemed to relax a bit.

"Hey, Bella. I just heard from Alice that Jacob asked you out! How amazing is that? Are you excited?" Rosalie asked me.

"Yes, I'm really excited. I will see him this Friday and we'll go to a movie. I still can't believe I'm seriously doing this, I've only just met him this one time in the super market," I said, realizing I was rambling.

"Oh, it'll be fine. I'm sure of it," Alice said, winking. I laughed and shook my head.

"Why don't we come over and get you ready for the date?" Rosalie suggested.

"Thanks, but that wouldn't be necessary."

"I think it would. Sorry, Bells, but you do need some help dressing for a date. To be honest, you're not an expert," Alice said, smiling kindly. I gave her a look.

"Thanks, Alice," I mumbled.

"You know I mean it in a good way," she said. I nodded slowly and sighed, realizing she did have a point. I hadn't had that many dates in my life and if I was completely honest, I had no idea what to do or wear. Their advice would be helpful.

"Yes, I know. He's going to pick me up at seven o'clock, so why don't you come by at five o'clock?" I suggested. They both immediately shook their heads.

"No, that's far too little time. We'll be there at three," Rose said. My eyes widened slightly.

"I do realize it will take a while to make me beautiful and all, but seriously, four hours?" I asked, exasperated. Alice sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Your self-esteem is definitely getting better, isn't it?" she asked ironically. I laughed and blushed slightly, only proving their point even more.

"We need four hours to make you even _more_ beautiful and to give you some advice," Rosalie said.

"Fine, be there at three o'clock. I'll have some lunch ready. But let's talk about some other subject. Any progress with the wedding, Rose? As the maid of honour, I should know and help with that, you know," I said, chuckling. Rosalie's eyes started twinkling and a smile spread across her face. I noticed how I and Alice couldn't help but smile along.

"Well, we've got a date, 13th of June. But I still need to find a dress. You didn't forget how you promised to go shopping with me for a dress, did you?" she asked jokingly.

"No, of course not. When would you like to go?"

"Oh, well, I suppose we could go tomorrow afternoon. Then we can search for something for you to wear on Friday too!" she exclaimed, smiling. "Alice, you'll come too, right? I think we might need you."

"What? Did you seriously think I would miss out on shopping for your _wedding dress_?" she called out. We both laughed as she watched us with a serious expression of shock on her face.

"No, I didn't, not really. Thank you both for coming with me," she said, becoming slightly emotional.

"Of course! You're our best friend and we would do anything for you, especially now you are getting _married_!" I said, getting emotional too, after seeing Rosalie's eyes getting watery.

"Yes, exactly! And when Bella or I will get married, we will do the same for each other as we do now." We were almost going to do a group-hug, when we realized how horribly dramatic we were being and we all burst out laughing.

We got a few stares from people, but after hanging around Emmett for a long while, I had gotten used to it.

The next morning, I had to get up early for work. This week had been slightly better than the prior ones. I was getting used to Edward's character more and more and I could use it to his disadvantage, by forcing him to a bit of chit-chat. He was still distant and quiet, but the rudeness was getting less, thankfully.

I was sitting behind my desk, when he arrived.

"A very good morning to you, Mr Cullen." It had become my habit to greet him cheerfully in the morning, to see in what kind of mood he was. He nodded and mumbled a 'good morning, Ms Swan', as he did almost every morning. I nodded and smiled at him, after which I only _just_ noticed the slightly dazed look in his eyes, before he turned his head away and walked to his office. I frowned, confused, but forgot about it as I saw the work I had to do that day.

The more I was working here, the more I realized this wasn't the job for me. I did like teasing Edward, and the people that worked here – Emma and Madison, for example – were all very nice and welcoming. But besides that, the work I had to do wasn't really for me and even though I did my best and most of the things I did were fine, I knew I couldn't stay here for long.

"Good morning, Bella," Emma said, smiling as she walked in and dropped her bag on the desk. I smiled at her.

"Good morning, how are you?"

"I'm great! Yesterday afternoon, the man I've had my eye on for a really long time has finally asked me out," she said to me in a hushed tone, while she was leaning over her desk, towards me. The way she said it, gushing all about it with flushed cheeks, made me feel like we were in high school again.

"That's fantastic," I said, smiling. I knew that if she had told me two weeks ago, I would have felt jealous and I would've thought it was unfair, but now – with the thought of my date on Friday in my mind – I didn't feel jealous at all and was genuinely glad for her.

"Yes, I'm really excited. He will pick me up at Saturday and then we will go to eat near the beach. I do hope he will take me on a walk along the shore after dinner," she said, dreamily.

I looked at her and realized she was even younger than I was, thus explaining the high school-attitude she had about this date.

"I'm sure he will," I said reassuringly. She nodded with a spark in her eyes, and she sat down behind her desk, sighing as she, too, noticed the work she had to do.

I was about to get to work, as I heard the door from Edward's office open behind me. I fought the urge to turn around and I started working, hoping he hadn't noticed that I had been chatting with Emma. I peeked up sneakily and watched him through my eye lashes. He closed the door of his office and caught me looking at me. I blushed and looked away. I heard him cough and he walked away.

This time, I _did_ start working and continued so, until it was lunch-time. I left my desk and made my way over to the lunchroom. As I walked in, I quickly looked around, but didn't see Edward yet. I sat down and wondered why the first thought I had when I entered the room, was to see if Edward was there. I mentally scolded myself and started eating my lunch.

After a few minutes, more people walked in. Someone moved the chair next to me. I didn't look up, but my heart started beating faster, so I had a suspicion as to who it was. "Hello, Ms Swan," a voice said and my suspicion was proved to be true. I knew it was rude to keep staring at my food, so I looked up with a calm look on my face. I smiled at Edward and nodded.

Madison walked in and sat down on the other chair next to me. She eyed Edward questioningly when he was looking away. I shrugged.

"So, Bella, did anything happen to you? I haven't spoken to you that much this week," Madison said. I agreed and smiled at her. The moment I opened my mouth to tell about her Jacob, my eyes went to Edward, who was facing the other way, but something in his manner told me he was listening to us. I sighed and decided to not be bothered by him and just tell Madison.

"Actually, something did happen. I went to the shop to do some groceries, but I couldn't reach something on the top shelf. I tried to reach it, but I ended up knee-deep in boxes' she laughed as I said this, but I gave her a look and continued, 'well, thankfully, there was this man who helped me. He was very nice and we exchanged numbers. Yesterday he called me and asked me out on a date." I noticed that Edward was looking a bit tense and he was looking at the wall in front of us very concentrated. "He will pick me up on Friday evening and we will go to the movies," I finished. Madison smiled widely and congratulated me. I saw her looking at Edward with an amused look. There was a twinkle in her eyes and I knew that meant she was up to no good.

"That's really great. I'm happy for you. Aren't you, Edward?" she asked, innocently. I saw him looking at us, looking surprised and… caught?

"Erm… Yes, yes, of course I am," he stuttered, looking very awkward. I felt quite bad for him and gave Madison a look. She still had an amused look in her eyes, but I knew she would stop.

After lunch, Madison left while I packed up my leftovers from lunch. I finished and was about to leave the room, when I saw Edward standing near the door. He was looking at me with a frown upon his face. I walked towards him, slightly confused. Was he about to tell me that he had decided I wasn't good for the job after all? With a shock I realized that, although I liked teasing him, he might not have enjoyed it so much and perhaps it had made him realize that I wasn't the right person to be his assistant.

While scolding myself for being so familiar with him all the time even though he was boss, I looked at him, wondering what he was going to say.

"Look, Ms Swan, about what just happened," he started. I felt how my heart sped up and my palms got clammy. By now, I was convinced he was going to fire me.

"I'm just a bit worried that my reaction may not have been completely appropriate," he said, looking at with a worried look in his eyes. For a short second, my mind went blank with relief. He wasn't going to fire me. He was just worried that telling me that he was happy that I was going on a date, may not have been an appropriate comment for a boss to make.

"Don't worry about it, Mr Cullen," I told him, smiling reassuringly. He sighed, also relieved. He nodded and left the room.

As I was walking back to my desk, I tried to calm myself down. He didn't fire me after all, but this _had_ made me realize that perhaps my behaviour towards him wasn't appropriate. Perhaps I should tone it down a little. I sighed.

I saw the door to his office close. I sat down behind my desk and saw Emma looking at the door of his office with a slightly confused look upon her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Nothing's wrong. I just noticed that Mr Cullen looked different than normal. He seemed relieved and in a good mood. Do you know what that is about?" she asked.

I was wondering whether to tell her or not, but decided it was for the best not tell anyone about it. At least, no one who worked here. I didn't want to risk losing my job, especially not after what had just happened.

"No, no idea," I said innocently. She shrugged and got back to work.


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

Later that afternoon, I met Rosalie and Alice to go shopping for Rosalie's wedding dress and clothes for my date. We decided that the dress was far more important – it may have been me who had decided this – and we first went to a bridal shop.

There was a woman smiling sweetly at us as we entered the shop.

"May I help you?" she asked, looking at the three of us, probably guessing who the bride was.

"Yes, I'm looking for a wedding dress," Rosalie said. The woman nodded excitedly and we made our way towards the seats in the middle of the shop.

"What do you have in mind?" the woman – her name was Caroline, I saw on her nametag – asked Rosalie.

"Well, I was thinking that it might be nice to have a strapless dress. It has to be white or a cream colour."

"All right. Well, I'll go and see if I can find something. You are all free to look around yourself, if you would like," she told us, after which she hurried away.

Rosalie and Alice immediately started browsing through the dresses, but I took my time to look around the shop.

The floor was a very soft, beige carpet, which was heavenly to walk on. The walls were nearly the exact same colour and in front of the large windows were long, cream curtains. In the middle of the shop were comfortable, cream chairs, surrounding a glass table on which a large flower bouquet stood, which consisted out of white lilies. Near the windows were large mannequins, showing beautiful dresses. The walls were all covered in clothing racks, which were filled with white, cream, soft pink and even a few red dresses. In the corner was a mahogany desk with also a bouquet, this one a bit smaller. Behind this counter stood a young woman with her blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail. She wore a cream outfit which seemed to fit in perfectly with the store. As I looked at her, she smiled politely. I returned the smile and walked towards Rosalie and Alice.

They were both holding a dress, but I wasn't able to see how they looked. I decided to look around myself and made my way towards the other side of the room, where Rosalie and Alice hadn't been yet.

As my hands were shifting through the soft materials of the beautiful dresses, I realised how much I wanted to have this someday. I thought about the date I had with Jacob and, even though I really liked him and was excited about this date, I couldn't picture myself marrying him one day. Of course, I couldn't picture myself getting married at all, because I hadn't thought about it that much. I had been focused on school and after that on my career, so I hadn't spent time thinking about what I would do if I would be getting married. But now, seeing these dresses and the joy in Rosalie's eyes, I wished I had. So I could picture myself standing in front of the altar, wearing one of these, smiling at the man who would become my husband.

As this image was forming in my head, I gasped out loud as the man suddenly got green eyes and auburn hair. I shook my head and the image disappeared from my mind. What was that?

Alice looked up and looked at my questioningly, probably thinking I had found something. I shook my head and she continued looking at the dresses.

I was absentmindedly looking at the dresses, when there was suddenly a dress that caught my attention. It wasn't that the dress itself was so special that I had immediately focused on it, but the fact it had a subtle beauty and that I could easily picture myself wearing it, made the dress stand out. It was a beautiful, soft cream colour and it had a square neck. The bode was tight-fitted and the fabric crossed at the stomach. It had smaller inner skirt and a bit wider outer skirt which only ran to the sides. It was floor length. I sighed as I looked at it and carefully let my hand run across the fabric. I knew it was selfish, but a part of me didn't want to show it to Rosalie. I dismissed that thought and looked over towards Rosalie.

I saw that Caroline had returned with a few dresses. Well, if Rosalie already had so many dresses to choose from, it would be unfair to make her choice any harder, right? Besides, she was looking for a strapless dress, which this one wasn't. And if all of those dresses weren't right, I _would_ tell her about this one. I smiled and walked towards them.

"Have you found anything yet?" I asked them, before they could ask me. I was already feeling guilty and I knew I couldn't keep this up for long.

"Yes, we have four potential dresses," Rosalie said, beaming at me. I smiled back at her while I was feeling horrible. I sighed and knew that I had to tell her about the dress.

"I also found something you might like, though it's not a strapless," I said quietly. Rosalie looked interested as I led her towards the dress.

"Wow, that's really beautiful, Bella. I will try it on along with these other dresses," she told me. I nodded and, with the other four dresses, walked to the changing rooms where Alice was already waiting, also holding a dress.

"Rose! Look at this dress. Isn't it absolutely perfect?" she yelled, holding up an amazing dress. Rosalie's eyes widened as she took it in. Absentmindedly, she handed the dresses to me as she slowly walked towards the dress Alice was holding. I watched my dress – _the _dress – lying between the other four insignificantly. I took a deep breath and knew it would be long before I could wear one and when that time would come, this one would already be sold and worn by a much more beautiful woman than I.

Rosalie had taken the dress from Alice, who was looking proud, and had entered the changing room. We both sat down and Caroline stood next to the door of the changing room, ready to help Rosalie when needed.

I involuntarily looked at the dress I had chosen and placed it on top of the others. Alice saw me and a knowing look crossed her face. She smiled sympathetically.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. I nodded and for some reason felt tears pricking in my eyes. I blinked them away and looked up to Alice.

"So, Alice. Are you planning on being asked by Jasper to marry you any time soon?" I said teasingly. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"If I'm completely honest, I hope so," she said, giggling. I laughed along, but then Rosalie came out of the dressing room and we were both completely silent. We looked at her with big eyes as she beamed and twirled around.

The fabric clung to her body beautifully. It was a white, strapless dress with a small skirt, which was flowing freely around her legs. Her long, blonde hair fell on her shoulders and her blue eyes were sparkling.

Alice and I both got tears in our eyes and I completely forgot about my dress. I looked at Caroline and saw that even she was speechless.

Alice was the first to say something, "I think we've found our dress, don't you think, maid of honour?" I laughed and nodded quickly. Rosalie smiled widely and looked at herself in the mirror.

"It's perfect," she whispered.

"It looks beautiful on you," Caroline said. We all agreed and, after looking at Rosalie for a few more minutes, Rosalie went back to her changing room – albeit unwillingly – and changed back into her own clothes.

"Well, Rosalie, now that we've found your dress, I think it's now time to go shopping for Bella!" Alice exclaimed, after we had ordered the dress and made an appointment to make sure the dress would fit perfectly.

"Don't you think we've had enough for today?" I asked hesitantly.

"Come on, Bella! Don't forget you promised me you would go shopping with me," Rosalie said, with big, puppy-dog eyes.

"I promised to go shopping with you for your wedding dress, I never promised to buy clothes for my date."

"We neither. I think it would be nice if Alice and I gave you those clothes, don't you agree, Alice?"

"Yes, absolutely. Just let us spoil you for once, Bella. You deserve it," Alice said.

"Fine. Thank you," I said, smiling.

Alice led us to a shop she claimed she always went to.

"Now, Bella, remind us. What kind of date will this be?"

"We're just going to go to a movie. I'm not sure if we will have dinner beforehand. We probably will," I mused.

"All right, then we will have to look for something casual, yet classy," Alice said thoughtfully.

"I think we should look for a dress, perhaps a little black dress?" Rosalie suggested. Alice agreed and looked around the shop.

"Exactly. Now Bella, do you think we can let you walk around for yourself in this shop, without you breaking anything?" Alice teased. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Alice, thanks," I said, chuckling.

"Okay then. Let's go and find your dress," Alice exclaimed, after which she walked away and started looking through the clothes. Rosalie and I exchanged a look.

I looked around, not sure what I wanted to wear to this date. A little black dress was a possibility, but wouldn't it look like I had made too much effort? That perhaps I thought more of this than he did? I really didn't want to give that impression. But I also didn't want to come, looking way too casual, then it would look like I didn't care at all. Was it always this hard when you were going on a date? I wondered. I didn't really have that much experience, but from what I had, I didn't remember that I had worried this much. But then again, I probably didn't care as much back then. I did really wanted this to go perfect. Jacob seemed like a very nice guy and I would regret it if I would do something that would make this date a disaster.

I decided to just look around with an open mind and see if there was anything suitable. Before I could start looking, though, Alice and Rosalie both started pushing me towards a changing room, both holding a few dresses.

I eyed them suspiciously as I took them from their hands and closed the curtain from the changing room.

A few of them were black, but there was also a green and a blue one. I picked up the green one, but for some reason, it felt like it would be an offence to Jacob to wear it. I put it down and wondered why I thought that.

The blue one was very nice, but somehow it felt like that would be the safe and familiar thing to go with. I wanted to try something different.

There were three black dresses, lying on the small table in the changing room. How could I decide which one would be the best? Well, I just had to try them all, I suppose.

The first one was a dress that came to my knees. It was tight-fitting and quite basic, except for the lace that ran from one short sleeve, along my neck and a part of my chest, to the other sleeve. It looked quite nice and I showed it to Rosalie and Alice, who both seemed to like it very much.

The next one was a bit more loose and also went to my knees. It had a v-neck and beneath my chest was a white band. I preferred the first one, but showed this one to Rose and Alice anyway. They told me they liked it too, but I noticed they also preferred the other one.

The last one was the most basic of all. It had a square neckline and, again, came to my knees. It was also tight-fitting. I liked it and was doubting between this one and the first.

I came out of the changing room and looked at Alice and Rose questioningly.

"Hmm, difficult. The one with the lace looks fantastic on you, but it could be a bit too formal. This one is quite basic, but you can easily pull it off," Rosalie mused.

"I agree. I also prefer the one with the lace and I think you should take that one. Jacob seems like a nice guy who would take you to a nice restaurant where this dress would be perfect," Alice said. I nodded and decided to take the first one.

I put on my own clothes and gathered the five dresses in the dressing room.

"Guys, I really appreciate your offer, but I can't let you pay for a dress for my date."

"Of course you can, It's not that difficult," Alice said. She took the dress from my hands and went to the counter.

"Alice, wait, I can't let you do this."

"Oh, shush, Bella," she said, jokingly. I chuckled and relented. Alice paid, and Rosalie and I put back the other dresses.

"Rose, you really chose a beautiful wedding dress. I think you will be the most beautiful bride ever," I told her truthfully.

"Thank you so much, Bella. You know, I couldn't have done this without you and Alice's help. You are all so great. I'm really looking forward to the wedding and it's even better now that I know that I have a great dress. One day, you will have the same," she said, as if knowing what was troubling me.

I told myself not to worry at all, I mean, I was still in my twenties. But the fact I had never had a serious relationship, _did_ worry me. Perhaps marrying just wasn't for me. I did hope that that wasn't true.

Alice returned, holding a bag in her hands, and we left the shop.

"I would like to continue shopping, but I'm not sure if our dear, little Bella here will be able to survive that," Rose teased.

"You're absolutely right," I said, chuckling. "Let's just grab some food and return home, okay?"

"All right, Bella. I suppose you need to mentally prepare yourself for your date Friday. I mean, it's only two days away, you know!" Alice said.

"Yes, yes. Let's all tease Bella about the fact she has never had a date," I said. I was planning on reacting good-humouredly, but nearing the end of what I was saying, I realised how pathetic I sounded.

"It will be absolutely fine. In this dress, he won't be able to take his eyes off you," Rosalie said.

"I'm not sure if that was what I was going for," I said slowly.

"Of course you were!" she exclaimed. "You will have a fantastic evening and he will ask you out for another date, and then another, and then eventually you will have a perfect boyfriend."

"We'll see," I said, skeptically.


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

"All right, I admit it. I haven't been this nervous in years. Actually, I can't think of any situation in which I was more nervous than I am at this moment," I rambled, staring at Alice, while fiddling with my hands.

"Relax. You still have to survive an entire day of work."

"Oh, please, you're only making it worse," I said, smiling to indicate I was joking. She laughed and sipped from her drink.

"Well, I think I will go home now. You have to get up early tomorrow. Me and Rosalie will be here at three o'clock," Alice said.

"Yes, I know. See you tomorrow," I said, standing up to let her out.

"Calm down, Bella. You need a good night's rest. It will be all right." I nodded and felt slightly relieved.

The next day, during lunch, I sat next to Madison. My eyes searched around the room and landed upon Edward, who was sitting a few tables away from us. He didn't notice me looking at him, while he was having a conversation with a young woman. I recognized her from the office, but had never paid any particular attention to her.

Before I could start to observe them, though, Madison started talking to me.

"There have been rumours going around this office that Mr Cullen might be dating Ms Thompson," she said, after noticing me looking at Edward. I didn't need to ask, for I already suspected who Ms Thompson was, but I asked anyway, because I wanted to get more information.

"Who is Ms Thompson?"

"She's the woman Mr Cullen is talking to at the moment. I have to admit, she is quite a beauty. They have been seen talking together quite often. Of course, normally, this wouldn't be such a special thing, but Mr Cullen isn't really a sociable kind of guy, as you may know, and therefore people interpret the things he does differently." I nodded slowly, thoughtfully.

"And what about the woman he went to New York with?"

"I'm not sure I know who you mean," she said, eyeing me.

"Of course you do. She's the woman who stormed into his office an hour before he returned here from his New York trip. She has blonde hair and blue eyes…" I trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

"Ah, yes. I believe I know who you mean. I don't know her name, though she's been here a few times before."

"Yes, Emma told me."

"Hmm, I think she is just someone he works with." As she said this, something begin to flicker in her eyes. She looked at me with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I'm not trying to be rude, but why are you so interested in this?" I blushed and looked away. But by doing this, I suddenly looked at Edward, who was watching me. I looked back at Madison, who hadn't missed this, though she kept herself composed.

"Just wanting to know what my boss is up to," I told her, not sure if it was the truth or a lie. She nodded, but I had a feeling she didn't completely believe me. I was wondering if it would be better to stop asking questions, but I was extremely curious.

"And this Ms Thompson, who is sitting at this table, she works here, right?"

"Yes, she does. That does make me suspicious, though, if there really is something going on between them. This company means a lot to Mr Cullen and he wouldn't risk it by getting into a relationship with someone he worked with."

"Yes, but surely, he wouldn't get fired if he had a relationship with someone he worked with?" I asked, not sure if asking this was for Ms Thompson's benefit or mine.

"Perhaps not, although his father is quite strict about those matters. But Mr Cullen is too much a gentleman for that, because Ms Thompson _would _probably get fired for having a relationship with Mr Cullen."

"I see, that's… nice of him. Although we don't know for sure if there really is anything going on, right?" I asked, trying to hide my curiosity.

"Well, I'm keeping an eye out, I'm always interested in these kind of things. If I notice something, I'll tell you," she said, casting a glance at Edward, who had now resumed his conversation with Ms Thompson.

"So, enough about Mr Cullen for now. Aren't you going on a date tonight?" she asked, apparently just remembering that.

I blushed slightly and looked away, "Yes, that's right."

"With that guy you met while doing your groceries, am I right?" I nodded, wishing to avoid talking about it. My nerves were already starting to become unmanageable. She understood and dropped the topic.

We finished lunch and as I was about to get up, someone brushed past me, making me fall down on my chair again. Startled, I looked up and was staring straight into the face of Ms Thompson.

"I'm so sorry!" she said. She was looking at me, trying to see if I needed any help, and I noticed she was in a hurry.

"It's all right," I said, smiling reassuringly. She nodded, while looking relieved, and she left the room.

"Are you all right?" a deep, masculine voice said behind me. I quickly looked behind me and saw Edward leaning on the table, looking at me with a frown upon his face and concern in his eyes. It all felt a bit too intimate, especially how close he was. So I quickly nodded and left the room.

I heard him leaving the room and walk after me, but in a slower pace. He was probably just on his way to his office.

I sat down at my desk and saw how Emma raised her eyebrows when she saw Edward coming towards me. I shrugged slightly, hoping Edward wouldn't see and bent over to the papers on my desk.

"Have I upset you?" I heard him ask, making me jump and my heart speed up. There was genuine concern and worry in his eyes as he intently looked at me. I found it impossible to answer him immediately, for there was a lump in my throat. I cleared my throat and put on a polite smile.

"No, not at all, Mr Cullen." He nodded slowly and turned around. Before he walked away, he cast one quick glance at me and then walked into his office.

"What was that about?" Emma whisper-shouted. I shrugged casually and tried to get back to work.

"No, you're not getting off this easily. Tell me," she demanded. I sighed and looked up.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure what is going on myself. Someone bumped into me, Mr Cullen asked if I was fine, I nodded and left the room and after that you saw what happened."

"You seemed to be in quite a hurry to get to your desk and Edward seemed worried, for some reason. He apparently really didn't want to have upset you."

"I suppose so," I said absent-mindedly, wanting her to know that it all meant nothing. Of course, it didn't mean nothing, I just wasn't sure yet what it did mean.

The moment he had been leaning on my table, I felt some sort of intimate connection and it had made me run away from him. I couldn't deny the attraction I felt for him and he was getting nicer and kinder to me, but there were a few reasons it couldn't work out. One, he was my boss and it would get me fired to have that kind of relationship with him. Secondly, he might already have a relationship with Ms Thompson. And if it wasn't a relationship yet, it would probably turn into one. I denied the disappointment I felt and thought about the date I had that night.

Jacob seemed sweet and kind, although I didn't really know him. Besides, he was very handsome. I genuinely looked forward to the date and I wasn't going to let my thoughts of Edward ruin it. Edward just wasn't a possibility, and if he was, not a good choice. He could be very reserved and quiet, so much that it could even be rude. Jacob, on the other hand, was very easy-going and open-hearted. I smiled as I thought that and let the thoughts about Edward leave my mind.

Later that afternoon, I gathered my stuff from my desk, getting ready to leave. Emma looked up and smiled as I walked towards the elevator.

"Good luck with your date!" she yelled, the moment Edward left his office. I felt a pang of remorse that she had chosen that moment to say that and with an awkward smile on my face, I turned around and walked to the elevator.

Edward joined me and we both stood on either side of the elevator, not talking to each other. It felt very uncomfortable, but I was too embarrassed to say anything.

Edward cleared his throat and seemed to be deciding something. He looked at me, doubting and a bit awkward.

"Er… have fun tonight," he said. I nodded and mumbled a 'thanks'. The doors opened and we both left the elevator and building.

I returned to my apartment, knowing Rosalie and Alice would get there in a few minutes. I used those minutes to concentrate fully on Jacob. I'd rather be extremely nervous, than to be thinking of Edward while preparing for a date with Jacob. That just felt like indirectly betraying Jacob.

I cleaned up the house a bit and opened the door as Rosalie and Alice arrived. Alice greeted me and then got the dress out of my closet, telling me to go change in the bathroom as she and Rosalie would lay out all the make-up and hair products. I complied and went to the bathroom.

I put on the dress and was again pleasantly surprised. I was pleased with the way it looked and decided to let Rosalie and Alice do what they deemed to be needed. I was sure they knew what to do.

"It looks great," Rosalie commented. I thanked her and sat down in front of a mirror. They immediately started pulling at my hair. I closed my eyes and listened to the music they had put on. I decided to relax for these few hours, so I would be calm when Jacob would get here.

They were done an hour before Jacob would arrive. I got up and looked in the mirror to examine myself. I smiled widely as I saw how I looked. My hair was made into soft, brown curls falling onto my shoulders. They had put on some light make-up, enough so you could see it, but not too much, so that it would look natural. I thanked them, still looking at myself, not fully believing it was me. They laughed and complemented me.

We spent the next few forty-five minutes watching TV and talking to each other. Ten minutes before Jacob would arrive, they left and made me promise to call them tomorrow.

I watched them leave and immediately felt the nerves returning. I looked at myself – again – and decided this was probably the best I was ever going to look. I was quite sure Jacob would like me like this, because he had liked me that day at the store, and that was as casual as it would get. I calmed myself down, knowing he had seen something in me that he liked and it was just a simple, innocent date to see if there was some potential between us.

I had just closed the blinds and turned off the television, when I heard a knock on the door.

I opened it and saw Jacob standing there, smiling broadly and carrying a bouquet of lilies.

"They're beautiful, Jacob. Thank you," I said genuinely. He seemed relieved. I let him in and closed the door behind him.

"I'll just put these in a vase and then we're off," I told him and went into the kitchen to get a vase and fill it with water.

When I returned, carrying the vase, I found Jacob looking at some pictures on the wall. I placed the vase on the table and went to stand next to him.

"This one is with my father, and that one with my best friends, Alice and Rosalie," I told him. He seemed a bit startled to suddenly find me standing next to him, but he regained his composure and looked at the pictures with an interested look on his face.

"They seem very nice," he said, probably out of politeness. I thanked him.

"Shall we go?" I suggested. He nodded and we left the apartment. I closed the door behind me. Excitement and nervousness raged inside me as I followed him to his car.


	9. Chapter 9

**9**

I got into his car and watched him put on his belt and start the engine. He smiled widely and we left the parking spot.

"I've made reservations at this wonderful French restaurant, and afterwards we will go and see a movie," he told me.

"I'm really looking forward to it. If I'm completely honest, this is the first real date I've been on in quite a long time," I said, chuckling and blushing slightly.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," he said, winking.

We arrived at the restaurant and we got out of the car. The restaurant seemed very nice and as we entered, I noticed there were a lot of people inside, creating a nice atmosphere, with a buzzing sound of everyone talking.

The waitress led us to a table at the window and gave us a menu, after which she walked away. I picked the menu up and quickly looked around the restaurant.

We were alongside a large window, which looked out onto a long street, lit by street lanterns. A few people walked by, talking to each other or on the phone. The interior of the restaurant was very cozy, with a dark wooden floor and wooden beams on the white ceiling. A few paintings of France were hung on the walls.

I took a look at my menu and decided what I wanted to order. Jacob seemed engrossed in his menu and I decided to wait a few moments before starting a conversation, at least until he had made his decision.

It, fortunately, didn't take him very long and soon we had ordered our food and drinks.

"So, Bella, we don't really know each other yet," he said, smiling. I laughed softly, remembering how we had met.

"No, not really. Although you do know that I'm a clumsy person," I chuckled.

"Yes, that's true. I'm glad you are, though. Otherwise we would never have met," he said, grinning. I nodded and fought the urge to roll my eyes; it sounded a bit cheesy, but it was unfair of me to think that.

"Yes, I'm glad we did." I told him, "So, Jacob, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a sport instructor at the gym," he told me.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not really surprised."

"Yes, it seems quite an obvious job, doesn't it? But what do you do?"

"I work at Cullen Inc, I'm Edward Cullen's assistant," I told him. He seemed to think for a while and then he looked back at me.

"Yes, I believe I've heard of him. My sister thinks he's great," he said.

"Oh, you have a sister? That's great. I'm only child."

"She's very nice, although we used to fight a lot when we were children. I think together we drove our parents mad," he said, chuckling.

"I can imagine," I told him, laughing along.

"I've heard her talk about this Edward, she is always telling us how handsome she thinks he is," he said, clearly wondering if I thought that too. I didn't want to lie, but the date had been going great so far and it would be stupid to tell him I also thought that Edward was very handsome.

"I can see what she means, but once he is your boss, you just don't look at him like that anymore," I told, feeling guilty already for lying, but I knew that if I wanted this date to work, it had been the best choice.

"I understand," he said, clearly relieved. I could understand why he would feel threatened by the fact I was working with one of the most eligible bachelors of London five days a week. And to be honest, perhaps he had good reason to worry. I had felt attracted to Edward… but he was my boss and if, for some strange reason, he would like me, it still could never happen.

"Have you lived in London for all of your life?" he asked me.

"Yes, I have. When my parents got divorced, my father moved to Bristol, but I stayed with my mother. I used to visit my father almost every holiday, so we have as good a relationship as one could wish in this situation."

"That's great. My mother… she died when I was very young and I lived with my father in a small village when I grew up, but moved to London when I went to college."

"I'm so sorry about your mother," I said softly. He shrugged and smiled.

"So, at your apartment, I saw these pictures of your best friends," he said.

"Yes, Alice and Rosalie. I met them both at university and we became friends immediately. Rosalie will get married this summer and I will be made of honour," I said, grinning. Jacob nodded, but I saw he wasn't extremely interested. Not that I had expected him to be; what would he care about my friends? Secretly, I knew I was thinking that just to protect him and to keep up the image I had of him in my head.

"Congratulate her for me," he said politely. I promised I would.

We spent the dinner conversing about our lives and eventually went to the cinema.

"I've already checked, there is a romantic comedy, an action and a drama. What would you prefer?"

"Well, I suppose you would like the action?"

"Normally I would, but not on a date," he said, winking. I grinned and nodded.

"All right, then I suppose the romantic comedy. It would be awkward if I would start crying while watching the drama." He laughed and agreed. We both walked into the building and he bought two tickets to romantic comedy.

We sat down on the seats in the middle of the room and were silent for a few moments. The movie wouldn't start for a few minutes.

"I really enjoyed dinner," Jacob suddenly said.

"Yes, I did too," I told him honestly. I wasn't sure what to think of him yet, but I had to admit this had been a great date so far. I hadn't felt a connection with him, but that would come eventually. Probably when we would go on another date. The lights dimmed and the movie started, so we stopped our conversation.

Halfway the movie, I felt him grab my hand. My initial urge was to pull my hand back, but I stopped that urge in time. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hold hands for another hour, but it would be rude to pull my hand back.

We finished watching the movie, me feeling a bit awkward. We left the cinema and went to the car.

When we arrived at my home, he walked with me to my door.

"I had a great time," I told him, smiling.

"Yeah, me too, shall we do this again some time?"

"Yes, I would love to. You have my number, right?"

"I do. Good night, Bella," he said, starting to lean forward slightly. I wasn't sure if he was planning on kissing me on my cheek or on my mouth, but just to be sure, I moved my head sideways.

He seemed a bit startled, but quickly kissed me on my cheek and left. I sighed and went inside.

I wasn't ready to be kissed on the mouth yet at all; I had only been on one date. Perhaps I was a bit too conventional.

I went to bed quickly, feeling exhausted after a long day.

The next morning I woke up and my first thought was that I would see Edward in two hours and if I would act any different now that I had had a date. I supposed not, I still couldn't deny the attraction I felt towards him. But now I also felt attracted to Jacob, which only made matters worse. Well, perhaps not entirely. Edward wasn't an option, so I should be fair to Jacob and give him a real chance and try to forget about Edward. It was as simple as that, yet I didn't seem satisfied with that solution.

I sighed and threw my hand over my eyes, feeling desperate.

What was it about Edward that made me like him? He wasn't funny or sweet, quite often in a bad mood and not very open. Yet I still seemed to feel something for him. I knew it was horrible, because he was my boss. But I had tried to get rid of the feeling and it hadn't worked.

At work, I waited patiently for Edward to arrive, somehow worried he might notice that I had realized my attraction towards him. He walked in, looking as he did always. He looked at me and he looked like he regretted or was sorry about something. I was about to ask him, but he quickly walked to his office.

Emma arrived too, a few minutes after Edward, and she sat down with a big smile.

"Tell me _everything_ about last night," she said. Edward came back out of his office and I suddenly realized that it might be a perfect opportunity to see if he would get jealous if I would talk about my date. If he did, then perhaps he might like me too. Not that that would be such a good thing, the fact that he was boss hadn't changed since last night.

I didn't look at Edward as he came out of his office, pretending I hadn't noticed him.

"It was perfect! He took me to a great restaurant where we ate delicious food and afterwards we went to see a romantic movie. Halfway he suddenly grabbed my hand," I said, making it sound as if I thought it was incredibly cute. I fought the urge to look at Edward, but from my peripheral vision I saw him walk away briskly.

During lunch he was looking at me with a frown upon his face, probably assuming I didn't notice. I wasn't completely sure, but suspected that he was jealous. I wasn't sure how to deal with it, because I hadn't expected him to actually become jealous. Perhaps he wasn't, but I thought I was a good enough judge of people to realize he was.

As he walked by my desk later the day, I decided to have a conversation with him, see where it would lead.

"Hello, Mr Cullen," I said, suddenly wanting that I could call him Edward.

"Hello," he said, a bit startled. I always had the feeling that whenever I talked to him, he really didn't want to talk to me. It was bit discouraging, but I tried to ignore that feeling.

"Is everything going all right with the company?" I said, not sure what to talk to him about.

"Yes, although the financial crisis is getting to us too, unfortunately. But we're still coping," he said, not really convincingly. Were they really in financial trouble?

"Is there anything to worry about?" I asked. He smiled in a way that said '_you_ don't have to worry anything', which was a bit insulting.

"No, everything will be fine." I nodded curtly.

"Good," I said, disappointed that I didn't have anything more to ask him. He turned to his office, but hesitated and then turned back to me. His hand went through his hair as he was thinking about something. He looked at me and bit on his lip.

"Ms Swan, there is something I need to ask you," he said, still not sounding very sure. I nodded.

"Next week there is a business party and I will have to go to it, but I was wondering if you would like to go too. It would be a nice opportunity to meet people from the business world, to get some connections, you know. I thought that if we went together, I could introduce you to them all," he said. I doubted for a few moments. "Of course, this is in no way a date," he quickly added, sounding slightly nervous. Was that true? I wondered.

"All right," I said, smiling broadly, "it seems a great opportunity. Thank you for inviting me, I really appreciate it." I gave him a sweet smile. He coughed and was about to go this office.

"Oh, Edward," I called, wanting to ask him something. The moment I realized I had said Edward, I gasped and mentally slapped myself.

"I'm so sorry, Mr Cullen, it was completely inappropriate of me to say that," I quickly said, hoping he wouldn't mind. He smiled and said it was no problem. He was grinning – something I hadn't seen him doing very often; actually I hadn't seen it even once – and it seemed he actually liked that I had called him Edward.

"I wanted to ask you if the party is formal or casual."

"I think it's formal, _Bella_," he said, chuckling. I blushed and watched him walk away. I groaned and put my head in my hands. I looked up as I heard Emma laughing loudly.

"Well done, Bella. _'Oh, Edward!',_" she imitated me. I blushed even more and looked down. It had been great to hear him call me Bella, though. Perhaps we should make it a habit to call each other by our first names. No, of course not. I was his assistant and that would be way to familiar.

That afternoon, I called Alice.

"Today, Edward asked me to join him to a business party."

"Really? Wow. You said yes, right?"

"Yes, I did, though I'm not sure if that was a good decision."

"Why not? It would be great to spend a night with him when you're both out of your comfort zone. Who knows what would happen."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm still his assistant. If we would get into a relationship, or even just admit our feelings towards each other – though I doubt he has any serious feelings towards me – I might get fired. Or worse, we might both get fired," I said.

"That's true. Well, you could always just have fun at the party without getting into all that trouble. There will be all sorts of handsome, business men there. Is it formal?"

"Yes, but I think I'll just wear the same dress as I wore to the date with Jacob," I said.

"No, you have to buy another dress, but more about that later. First, I want to know why the first thing you told me when I picked up the phone, was that Edward asked you to that party, instead of you telling me about the date with Jacob," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"All right, I'll admit it. Jacob is absolutely great, but somehow I do feel more attracted to Edward, which really makes no sense. In theory Jacob would be much better as a boyfriend," I said miserably. It all made no sense. Why did I have to like the guy whom I wasn't able to get?

"Yes, in _theory_, but that's not always how it works out in real life. But it'll all be fine. Just see how things go during that party with Edward. And you _do_ have to buy a new dress, I'll help you find one."

"All right, fine. But no longer than three hours at the mall. Oh, and what should I do if Jacob calls and asks me on another date?"

"Say yes! You don't know how things will work out with Edward. He has worked so hard for this job that – sorry for saying this – I think he will pick the job over you. So if you break contact with Jacob now and find out that Edward won't go out with you, you're left with nothing."

"Yes, you're right. Thank you, Alice. I suppose I'll see you this weekend when we'll go shopping," I said, sighing. She laughed and said goodbye.

I put the phone down and fell down on the couch. Why did it have to get so difficult. A few months ago I had no man in my life, and I now I suddenly had two. Although, only if Edward felt something for me, about which I wasn't even sure yet.

I decided to stop thinking about all this for a few moments. Tomorrow would be Saturday, so no Edward and probably no Jacob. I would just get some rest and let my thoughts calm down. I smiled and went to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

I went with Alice to the mall to shop for a new dress for the business party I was going to with Edward. We both knew it had to be a dress I would like beautiful in, just to see how Edward would react.

We had been walking around for an hour and hadn't found anything yet, when I decided to take a break. We went to a little café and both ordered coffee.

"We'll find a dress soon enough," Alice said. I agreed and sipped from my coffee.

"Do you think Jacob will call this week? For another date?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, perhaps he doesn't want to look too eager. But you never know. Don't worry about it." I sighed and wished I could.

We finished our coffee and continued shopping. After walking in and out a few stores, we had found a dress that we both liked. It was navy blue with a v-neck. The body was quite tight, but it had a loose skirt and it was floor length.

I tried it on and was surprised by how good it looked. I decided to buy it and was secretly glad that we were done with shopping. Alice probably didn't agree, but didn't ask to stay longer.

I was sitting at home one night, eating soup as I was watching television, when the phone rang. I put down the bowl of soup, put the volume of the television down and walked towards the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella, It's Jacob," he said cheerfully. I smiled as I heard his voice.

"I'm glad you called," I told him.

"Yes, me too. I wasn't sure when would be the appropriate time to call, actually," he said sheepishly.

"Oh, well, this is fine, I suppose. I'm not really an expert on this either," I said, chuckling.

"So, I was wondering if you would like to go out on another date?"

"Yes, I would love too," I said, grinning.

"Great! What about Friday night?" he said. I was about to say 'yes, let's do that', when I suddenly remembered that that was the night that the business party was.

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but I'm busy that night. Perhaps on Saturday?"

"Yes, of course, that would fine," he said.

"All right, see you then!" I said and we hung up. I felt a bit as if I was getting the best of both worlds, with first the party with Edward and then the date with Jacob, but I reminded myself that the party with Edward was just for business.

That night I realized I was already nervous for the business party, even though it was still a few days away.

At work, Edward seemed to avoid me as much as he could. Perhaps he regretted asking me? Or perhaps he was just as nervous as I was.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow night, Edward," I told him on Thursday, as he was walking by my desk. I had started calling him Edward ever since my small slip-up, but he didn't seem to mind. It did take him some time to start call me Bella, though, but he had gotten use to it.

"Oh, yes. Well… that's nice," he said, not looking very sure about himself. I grinned and nodded.

"Will you pick me up?" I asked him. He looked a bit startled at my comment. I wasn't sure if he had just invited me so I was able to come without a formal invitation and meet the people there, or if we were going together.

"Yes, I will be there at six," he said with a serious look, as if to indicate it was all business, _not_ a date.

"Eh, you have my address, I suppose?" He nodded and when he saw I wasn't going to ask anything else, he walked away.

As I turned to get back to work, I noticed Emma eyeing me with an amused expression.

"So…" she said slowly. "_Edward_ has asked you, now has he?" I shrugged, feeling a blush creep across my cheeks. "I don't think he has ever asked a colleague to a 'business' party before," she said, making air quotes.

"It's just so I can meet people from the business world," I tried to explain, but from the look in her eyes I knew it was to no avail.

"I'm sure it is. Do you know what you are going to wear?"

"Yes, a blue dress with –, " I stopped as I realized that saying this made it seem as if I thought more of this party than would be normal. She chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Good luck," she said. I was wondering if I would be needing it. I probably would.

The next afternoon, I was sitting on the couch in my apartment, watching Alice as she ran around in the bathroom, gathering products to 'pretty me up', as she had said.

"Relax, Bella," she shouted, even though she hadn't looked at me. She knew me well enough to know I was feeling dreadfully nervous at the moment. He would arrive in one hour and I wasn't even nearly ready. I wanted to look beautiful, even though it would be futile. I had to stop hoping there might be a chance of us getting into a relationship. I had Jacob, after all. Well, I didn't necessarily _have_him, but you catch my drift.

Alice called me to the bathroom, where I found her, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, surrounded by beauty products. I chuckled and sat down in front of her, after which she immediately started pulling at my hair.

Within forty-five minutes, thanks to Alice's magical hands, I was ready to go. She was about to leave as I stopped her from opening the door.

"Are you sure this is going to be all right?" I asked, feeling nauseas from the nerves in my stomach. She grinned and patted my shoulder.

"It will be great, I'm sure it will. Make sure you'll meet a lot of people and in the meantime, see how Edward is acting. You should react accordingly to him. I'm sure you will be fine." I thanked her and she left, worried that she might leave just as Edward would arrive.

I closed the door behind her and walked to the kitchen, where I drank a glass of water. I hadn't felt this nervous since I had to perform on stage at school, _on__my__own_. I was even more nervous than we I had had the date with Jacob. I put the glass back and paced back and forth in my living room. I started as I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I took a deep breath, walked towards the door, put on a smile and opened it.

"Good evening, Bella," Edward said, smiling. I immediately realized how different he was acting than at work. I smiled in return and took the arm he was offering. I closed the door and he led me to his car.

"You look beautiful," he said. I was a bit shocked – he wasn't acting like himself at all. I blushed nonetheless and thanked him.

"The party is in Croydon, it takes about half an hour to get there," he said as we had gotten into the car. I nodded and put on my seatbelt. I was still smiling from the fact he had opened the car-door for me.

The first few minutes were silent, for we both didn't know what to talk about. The only thing we had in common was our work.

"So, how is it to run a business on your own?" I asked, filling the silence.

"It is quite stressful, but you do get credit for the work, so it's pretty satisfying. And I like the job, especially because I'm following up my father. I know he's very proud of me," he said, smiling as he looked at the road. I realized he must have a pretty tight connection with his father.

"I understand, it must be great to work for your father." He nodded slowly, as though he didn't fully agree. He seemed pained about something, but I didn't ask and he didn't explain. The look disappeared from his eyes and he put on a smile.

"Do you like working at the company?" he asked me, looking at me.

"Yes, I really do. Perhaps I'm not the most qualified person or is it my dream job, but I am enjoying it. I have some great colleagues. Emma and Madison, for example." He nodded slowly and stared ahead, with the pained looked in his eyes again.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, not at all," he said, smiling again. His mood swings were driving me crazy, but I tried to ignore them.

"Is this party a dinner or will there actually be dancing involved?" I asked.

"Don't worry," he said, chuckling, "it's a dinner." I sighed, relieved.

The rest of the drive we talked about casual things, until we arrived. He opened the door for me and we walked towards the entrance.

The large room had been filled with tables. There were already a lot of people inside and Edward seem to know quite a few. He greeted them or waved if they were at the other end of the room. He told one of the waitresses his name, asking where we were seated.

She pointed towards a table on the left of the room, near a large bouquet. We walked towards it and he quickly found his name on a piece of paper, but I didn't see mine on the table. I turned around and noticed that I was seated at a different table than Edward, but as soon as he noticed it too, he walked up to man who was working here. He whispered something in his ear, they both laughed and shook hands. They walked towards the table and exchanged his name with someone else's, so that Edward was sitting next to me. The man thanked Edward and walked away. Suddenly something dawned on me. Edward came back to stand next to me and I leaned over to whisper, "You paid him?"

He grinned and nodded. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

We sat down and watched the other people walk by. Someone sat down next to me. He looked up and smiled as soon as he noticed Edward.

"Mr Cullen, good to see you here. You haven't visited much of these business parties lately, have you?" he said good-humouredly. He was a short man, a bit on the hefty side and balding. He had small glasses on his small, almost black eyes. There was a constant grin on his face and his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Ah, yes, I believe you are right. But there is a special reason why I _have_ gone to this one. Mr Bardon, this is Ms Bella Swan. Bella, this is Mr Henry Bardon," he said.

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said. "A very special reason indeed, Mr Cullen," he said, winking and grinning at Edward. Edward chuckled. I retracted my hand and tried not to blush.

"Ms Swan is my assistant, I have brought her here to make some connections," Edward explained. Henry Bardon nodded slowly and looked at me with an amused look in his eyes.

"Are you sure she can handle the business world?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Edward.

"I'm perfectly capable to handle the business world, Mr Bardon," I said, controlling my anger. From the look in his eyes, I had the feeling he was the kind of person who thought that women were there to clean the house and cook dinner.

"Of course you are," he said quickly, still with that amused look in his eyes.

"Ms Swan is a very good assistant," Edward said, trying to help me. Mr Bardon laughed loudly and gave Edward a look.

Edward coughed and blushed slightly as he understood what Mr Bardon had been thinking. Mr Bardon had probably been thinking that Edward didn't think of me as a good assistant in the way that I was good at my job, but in the way that he liked me personally and that that was the reason I had been hired.

Noticing our embarrassment, Mr Bardon excused himself and left the table.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward said, looking extremely embarrassed. I laughed and shrugged.

"It's fine. I should be able to deal with those kind of people in the business world. There will be men out there who think that women don't belong in this world." He nodded, somewhat proudly, and agreed.

A few more people sat down at our table, a few which Edward recognized. Food was served and Edward started a conversation with the man, Mr Clarke, next to him. He introduced us to each other.

"So, I hear that you are Edward's assistant," he said, but in a completely different tone than that Mr Bardon had used. Mr Clarke's was jokingly in a good way.

"Yes, I am," I said, smiling.

"Well, then I think you are doing a great job. I can't imagine what it must be like to be his assistant," he said, chuckling. Edward laughed and shook his head.

"It's not that bad, I'm coping," I told him, chuckling slightly. Edward raised an eyebrow.

"It's not that bad? Well, I must admit I was hoping for a little more than that," he said jokingly.

"All right then – it's great," I said, smiling sweetly. He nodded with feigned satisfaction. Mr Clarke was watching us without saying anything. I realized we must have been acting a little too familiar for a boss and his assistant and I started eating my soup, hoping to divert the attention to Edward. Edward understood and continued the conversation with Mr Clarke.

During the rest of the night, Edward kept introducing me to people. Luckily, none of them were like Mr Bardon. At the end of the evening, I had quite a few business cards in my purse. I was starting to feel tired and Edward proposed to go home. We left the building and he led me to the car.

I was trying very hard not to fall asleep on the way back, but found it difficult. We didn't say much, for Edward was also tired.

I was glad when we finally arrived at my house, but in a way also sad that the night with Edward was over and I hadn't really learned anything about me and Edward.  
He walked me to the door.

"Thank you for taking me to the party," I said. He shrugged it off and smiled.

"No problem."

"Good night, Edward."

"Good night, I'll see you Monday," he said, after which he turned around and walked away. I watched him as he walked around his car to get to the driver's side. Before he got in, he waved quickly and I waved back. He started the engine and drove away.

I yawned and got inside. After changing into my pyjamas quickly, I went to bed and immediately fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

All Monday morning I had been wondering how Edward would address that evening, so I was quite surprised to find he didn't say anything at all.

At work, he walked by my desk with a frown upon his face. I was about to say something, but he had already closed his office door behind him. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, as the fear that the entire evening had meant nothing to him entered my mind again.

I gave Emma a questioning look, wondering if she knew something, but she just shrugged. There was a possibility in my mind why he was acting like this, but I wasn't completely sure.

The rest of week continued in a similar pattern. I hardly spoke with Edward at all, and the few times I did, I noticed how uncomfortable he looked. I could see that he didn't want to speak to me at all and was trying to avoid me. I couldn't deny feeling hurt. By then I knew he was acting like this because of the date I had with Jacob.

During the date, Jacob and I had entered the restaurant, where he had booked us a table, and as I was looking around the room, I saw Edward sitting at a table in the back of the room. I gasped, but luckily Jacob didn't hear it.

I remembered how Jacob had told me that he knew Edward from his sister's magazine. I looked at Jacob and hoped he wouldn't recognize Edward.

My hopes were shattered as I saw Jacob's eyes narrow during dinner. He had been looking around, trying to get a waitress's attention, when his gaze landed upon Edward.

"Say, isn't that your boss over there?" he asked me. I feigned surprise and looked at Edward.

"I believe it is. What a coincidence," I said, trying to fake a laugh. Jacob shrugged, and was about to continue eating, when Edward suddenly looked his way. They looked at each other for a few moments – Edward's eyes narrowing slightly – but they both looked away eventually. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as Jacob focused on me again.

"Doesn't look like the guy in the picture at all," he muttered. I frowned questioningly.

"Well, it's quite dark in here, I suppose," I said. He nodded.

The rest of the night was quite awkward, though I wasn't sure why. Jacob didn't know about my feelings for Edward, so why had he acted so strangely? Perhaps because Edward had given him an angry look and Jacob had felt threatened. Or he had just picked up on the fact that I liked Edward during one of these two dates. I wasn't sure.

When Jacob said goodbye to me that night, we both didn't mention a third date. For some reason, we both knew this wouldn't work out. My feelings for him had disappeared, and perhaps he had noticed. Or his feelings had disappeared too.

Either way, we departed on good terms and I was grateful for that. I had already started worrying on how to break up with him. I knew that I had feelings for Edward and that it wasn't fair to continue dating Jacob with the little feelings I had for him. So the fact I had to break up with him had seemed inevitable. I was sad that it was over, because if Edward wouldn't or couldn't reciprocate my feelings, I would be left with no one. But it would've have been intolerably selfish to just keep dating Jacob for that reason, so that hadn't been an option.

Knowing Edward had seen me with Jacob, it hadn't been a complete surprise when he continued acting so coldly to me at work.

At the end of the week, Edward suddenly came out of his office and walked over to me. I was quite surprised, because it had been the first time since the business party that he voluntarily addressed me himself. I tried to prepare myself for whatever he would say, but I had no idea whatsoever.

"Eh…," Edward said, looking uncomfortable, "can I talk to you for a minute, Bella?"

"Yes, of course," I said, eyeing him. Why was he acting so awkward? I followed him into his office, starting to feel slightly nervous as the look in his eyes turned serious.

"I have some bad news, Bella," he told me slowly. I frowned questioningly.

"What is it?"

"Well, because of the financial crisis our company has to cut back and therefore we have to… We have to fire some of our people," he told me, looking at me with a worried look.

From the day that I had started here, I had prepared myself to get fired, but for it to actually happen still came as a bit of a shock. I wasn't sure if I could manage financially to lose this job, and it would probably take a while to find another job. God knows how long it took to find this one and the reason I got hired here was just because I was the only one who was even remotely suitable.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Why had he not prepared me for this? Why did he suddenly decide to tell me that I'm fired and not give me any time to accept it. And what about he business party?

"Oh? So, the party was just to soften the blow?" I asked through gritted teeth. He seemed surprised at my anger, but kept calm. "Was it just so that I knew some people in the business world who could help me find a different job after you fired me here?" A thought suddenly came to mind. "Did you know you were going to fire me at the time of the party?" I asked softly, but angry. He was silent as he looked at me with pained eyes. He had known. "Great," I muttered.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I thought it would be good if you knew some people," he said. "I didn't know that the party meant something more to you," he said softly, eyeing me carefully, probably afraid of hurting me.

"It didn't mean 'something more'_._ It meant the same thing to me as to you," I said angrily, not wanting him to know I felt something for him. He muttered something, looking sadly at the ground, but I didn't catch it.

"May I ask how you will work without an assistant?" I asked, suddenly very calm as I refused myself to let my emotions get in the way.

"I… We planned on hiring an assistant, who is less qualified and therefore will get a lower pay check," he explained, in a manner as if he had practiced this sentence beforehand.

"A less qualified assistant than me?" I asked.

"Well, you may not have had the best qualifications for _this_ job, but you have some pretty good qualifications."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, "that's a relief." We looked at each other intently for a few moments, while I was trying to control my anger. Suddenly I remembered something.

"This isn't because of Saturday, is it?" I asked slowly. He pretended to be confused.

"Saturday?"

"When I was on a date with Jacob and we saw you in that restaurant?" I asked, feeling embarrassed for asking this, but having to know.

"Please, Bella, as if I would ever let anything like that influence my decisions!" he snapped. I felt tears pricking in my eyes and I looked away.

"I'm sorry, I should've know you don't care about things like that," I said bitterly. He looked away, looking frustrated.

"You know that's not true," he answered.

"Do I?" I snapped. "How _could_ I know that? Because you're always so open?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't think we should discuss this right now, Bella," he said angrily. "I believe we were talking about work."

"Yes, you're right," I answered truthfully, taking deep breaths to calm myself.

"Bella, we will make this situations as capable as possible to you. We will pay you until you have found a job, and we will help you find one," he said professionally. I sighed, knowing I couldn't do anything about it and that I'd better just accept it.

"Thank you," I said softly. He looked pained, as if me giving up hurt him even more than me being angry at him, and nodded.

I turned around and left the room, not wanting to look at him again. How could he have just taken me to that party under false pretences? He did tell me that it might be useful to know people in that business, but not because I was going to get fired! He should've told me earlier, at least before the party.

He had never given any indication that he wasn't satisfied with my work. And if I was too expensive, why hadn't they lowered my pay check? That would've been easier than to fire me and find a new assistant.

I knew they just wanted a better qualified assistant and this was their way of letting me go easy.

I closed his office door behind me and picked up a few of my things that were lying on my desk – _the_ desk, I suppose.

Emma had stopped working as she worriedly looked up at me.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"I'm fired," I muttered, throwing a few pencils into my bag.

"What? No, you're not serious, are you?" she asked, shocked. I nodded angrily. "Finally he had an assistant who was nice and now he has to go and fire her." She took a deep breath and murmured, "Jerk."

"Well, I won't be seeing you that often anymore, I suppose."

"We have each other's phone numbers and address. Promise me we'll keep in touch," she demanded. I agreed and gave her a quick smile.

I was done with putting things in my bag and noticed I had to come back for the larger things.

"You'll see me here a few more times, I suppose. I still need to pick up these things and I'll probably have to have a conversation with Edward to arrange everything."

"Yes, I think so. I'm really sorry you got fired," she added softly. I shrugged and smiled.

"Nothing we can do about it. I'll just have to try and find a new job," I said cheerfully, not wanting her to be sad also.

I picked up my bag, waved and walked away. I tried to keep a brave face, even though I was feeling miserable.

Alice and Rosalie were both working at the moment, so I couldn't talk to them yet. Things with Jacob were over and it would only get complicated to call him and cry out on his shoulder, though that was an appealing option.

I went home and sat on my couch till Alice and Rosalie were back from their jobs. I called them and asked them if they could come over. They probably heard how miserable I sounded, because within fifteen minutes they were on my doorstep. I let them in, trying to hide the fact I had cried.

"Bella, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Rosalie asked frantically.

"I'm fine, sort of."

"You don't look fine," Alice said, eyeing me worriedly.

"I just got fired," I said softly.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice said, hugging me.

"That's horrible," Rosalie said.

I sat down on the couch again and they joined me.

"Why would he fire you?" Rose asked.

"He said they had to cut back," I said.

"You don't sound like you believe that," Alice said, frowning.

"I was his assistant, so I naturally wondered how he was going to do his job without an assistant. He answered that he was going to hire a less qualified and cheaper assistant. But we all know he just wanted someone who was better at the job than I was," I told them.

"But you weren't bad at the job, right? You never did anything wrong," Rose asked, looking confused.

"Well, I didn't do anything wrong, per se, but I wasn't extremely good at everything either."

"Didn't he just take you to that business party, though? A bit weird to first take you to a fun party and then fire you the next week," Alice noted.

"Yes! That's what I thought and said. He told me that he wanted me to have connections in the business world," I said angrily.

"Do you now?" Rose asked.

"I do know some people, but I hardly expect them to be useful 'connections' for if I want to get a job. But I shouldn't worry about that, it isn't very likely I'll return to the business world. If it is possible, I would like to find a job which is more suitable for me," I told them.

"Yes, that's a very good idea," Alice said.

We spent the next few months preparing Rosalie's wedding. Rosalie was getting more and more excited, and Alice and I had a hard job trying to keep her calm. As a maid of honour, I had to arrange quite a few things, but Alice helped me a lot and I enjoyed it immensely. The wedding had been planned perfectly and when it was only two weeks away, we were sitting in Rosalie's apartment, chatting casually.

"I can hardly wait, I can't believe it's still two weeks," Rosalie said excitedly. I grinned as I watched her.

"Guys, I was wondering, do you think I should come with a date?" I asked them, suddenly. We hadn't talked about my love life very often after the disaster with Edward, so it had come to a bit of a standstill. I still missed Edward, but hadn't encountered him after he had helped me find my new job.

I was currently working as an English Literature trainee at the local college and I couldn't be more happy with a job. I was doing a night course to become an actual teacher and during the day, I worked at the college. It was quite demanding, but I knew this was what I wanted to do. I enjoyed working with the students and was glad it wouldn't take that long to finish the night courses and get my diploma.

Rosalie and Alice eyed me worriedly as they heard my question.

"Is there someone you want to go with?" Rose asked cautiously.

"No, not really, but isn't it weird if I came on my own?"

"No, of course not. Not everybody will be there with a date," Alice said.

"But a lot will," I said softly.

"Do you want to find someone to go with? If you go out a bit, I'm sure you'll meet someone," Alice said.

"No, if I go out to find a date for the wedding, it will be a rush to find someone in two weeks and I would just pick anyone who wouldn't be a complete freak." Rosalie laughed and agreed.

"I do think, though, that it might be a good idea if you go out again some time. To get back out there, you know," Rose said.

"Yes, you're right, I suppose. I just don't think I really want to get out there again," I told them honestly.

"I understand, I wouldn't either," Alice said.

"Perhaps you should call Jacob," Rose suggested.

"No, I don't think that would be good idea," I said immediately, chuckling.

"Fine, but how do you propose you are going to meet people?"

"I have no idea, but I'll be fine. That's what you've been telling me all along," I told them.

"Yes, and you will, but it won't just came to you. You'll have to do something for it to happen. The mountain didn't come to Mohammed, Mohammed came to the mountain," Alice said seriously.

"I didn't even know you knew that phrase," I said, laughing. Alice rolled her eyes and chuckled.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

I watched Rosalie with tears in my eyes as she came down the aisle, looking at Emmett with happiness radiating from her. She looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress and the bouquet with white lilies in her hands.

When she was standing next to Emmett, the wedding minister started speaking. They both said their wedding vows, kissing each other afterwards. I couldn't feel happier for them, as I saw them walking away together.

At the reception, I had to give my speech, following Jasper, the best man.

"Thank you, Jasper, for your wonderful speech," I said, nodding at him. He smiled, raised his glass and nodded. "I've known Rosalie for a long time and we have been friends for most of those years. I met Emmett a few years ago and immediately knew he was the one for Rosalie. I've seen her with hundreds of other boyfriends – just kidding there – but she was never as happy as she is with Emmett.

This morning, Rosalie was a bag of nerves. She listed all the things that could go wrong, but Alice and I told her that the only thing mattered was that she loves Emmett and that he loves her.

I feel honoured to have been made the maid of honour, I have enjoyed every second of it. I hope you will enjoy your life as Mrs McCarthy, which will hopefully be for a long time. You'd better be prepared, Emmett," I said, winking at him. He laughed and I ended my speech, "Thank you."

I raised my glass and everybody mirrored me. We toasted and sat down as the food came in. Rosalie was sitting next to me and leaned over to hug and thank me for the speech.

"No problem. I really do hope you will have a great life, Rose," I said. She got tears in her eyes and smiled.

Later that night, as the people started dancing, I sat at the table and watched them, suddenly thinking about Edward. How I wished he would've been here, with me. I was wondering what he was doing at the moment. How was the company doing, with their 'cut backs'? How was his new assistant? I hadn't spoken to Emma much, regrettably, but we had called each other a few times. She had quit a her job a few weeks after me, after she had gotten a better offer, so she hadn't met the new assistant.

Would Edward have a girlfriend? Perhaps his new assistant, I thought sadly. There had been a few moments where I had regretted getting angry at him, but I knew that I had had good reason to and even if we would have gotten a relationship if I had stayed calm and acted as if it hadn't bothered me, then I would always know our relationship was built on lies. I couldn't have lived with that and I would have probably broken up with him.

I was pulled back to reality as Jasper came over to ask me to dance.

"Are you sure you want to risk that? I'm not a very good dancer," I told him, laughing.

"I thought you had taken dance lessons for the wedding?" he asked, chuckling.

"I have, but I'm a lost cause," I chuckled.

"I'll risk it," he said, pulling me up with his hand. I smiled, glad that he had taken my mind of off things.

After a few minutes, I swapped with Alice and was dancing with Emmett.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Great, absolutely fantastic," he said, grinning widely.

"I'm so happy for both you guys, it was about time you got married," I said, smiling.

_**EPOV**_

I sighed and put my head in my hands, leaning on my desk. That was the third interview that day, and all three had been horrible. Were there no good assistants looking for a job at the moment?

I still hadn't fully forgiven my father for what he had done. We did speak occasionally; my mother called often and then gave the phone to my father under false pretences – we both knew what she was doing. He had apologized and I told him that I had forgiven him, but deep down I hadn't really. Not yet.

I couldn't stop thinking that he had ruined my chances of being happy. I hadn't seen her since she had found her new job.

I wanted nothing more than to pick up the phone and call her, but I knew she wouldn't want to talk to me. And she had a good point.

At the time, I hadn't realized that it wasn't fair to take her to the party without telling her that she was getting fired. She had every right to be angry at me.

I still remember how my father had called me on my telephone.

"Edward, I've spoken to a few of your colleagues in London," he started, gravely. I was sitting in my office at the moment.

"You have? What have they told you?" I asked, not feeling suspicious yet.

"Well, they have informed me about your assistant, Ms Swan, right?"

"Yes, that's right," I answered slowly, not sure I knew where this was going. I had an unnerving feeling I wasn't going to like this conversation.

"Everybody agrees she's a lovely lady who tries hard to do her job, but that she may not be the ideal person to be your assistant," he told me.

"She may not be ideal, but she does her job properly and we can work together pretty good."

"A little too good, perhaps?"

"That's nonsense, dad, and you know it," I told him, even though he had a point. But he couldn't possibly know that for sure. My colleagues couldn't even know that for sure.

"All right, then, and that's not really the problem either. I need everything to be perfect in London. It takes a lot of time to build up this company in the US, so everything needs to run smoothly with you. I can't have you tolerating employees who aren't good for the company, just because they are kind or because you can work together with them. Of course, these things are important, but not as important as that they are good at their job."

"So you say I should fire her?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, of course, it isn't fair to just let her go. You should offer her help and pay her in the mean time. She should be fine," he said casually. He had no idea how much this affected me.

"I will not fire her," I told him resolutely.

"I thought you wouldn't. Unfortunately, you don't have a choice, son," he said, determined. I knew there wasn't really any point in arguing with him, but I wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Don't you think I should hire my employees myself? _I_ am the one who has to work with them!"

"Yes, all true, but I am still your boss and you do as I tell you. Now, fire the girl. But don't be harsh about."

"Yes, I was really planning on being harsh about it," I said, sarcastically.

"Can I count on you, son?"

"Dad, you haven't even seen her yourself. She is good at her job, I can promise you that."

"There are people out there who will be much better at it, won't that be more useful for your job?"

"Perhaps, but there is a chance I won't be able to work with them."

"There are a lot of people out there, you just have to interview a few and see with whom you think you can work the best."

"And what should I tell Ms Swan?" I asked softly, giving up.

"Tell her you need to cut back, she'll believe that. Oh, and there will be a business party in Croydon. Take her there, let her meet some people. Get connections, you know. It'll be helpful," he told me.

"Fine, I'll do exactly as you told me to," I said bitterly.

"Come, come, it's all for the company. It's just a simple assistant. Why are you so intent on keeping her anyway?"

"I don't know. She's different, I suppose. Special."

"You chose to finally fall in love and it's with your assistant?"

"I can't help it," I said, angrily.

"No, I know you can't. Well, just be kind to her. She won't me mad at all, believe me."

"I hope so," I said. Knowing Bella, I wasn't sure if he was right

_**BPOV**_

I got home that night, feeling absolutely exhausted. The wedding had run smoothly, mostly thanks to Alice, and everybody had enjoyed it thoroughly. Emmett and Rosalie would leave tomorrow morning for their honeymoon.

Alice and Jasper had stayed with me until the last guests had left. We had cleaned up a bit and then all went home, desperate to get some sleep.

I wasn't sure if I wouldn't fall asleep in the shower, but took the risk. Having danced all night – even though I had convinced myself I wouldn't – and having to run around to make sure everything went fine, a shower was something I could use.

I dragged myself to the shower and afterwards dragged myself to bed. I looked at my clock, only half surprised to see it was five in the morning. I groaned as I already saw the sky get lighter through my window. I closed all the blinds and laid down on my bed, knowing I wouldn't get up before twelve.

As I woke up, I realized that there was a sound penetrating the walls. I shook my head and noticed it was the phone ringing. I wasn't sure if I should get up and get it, but then I saw it was two o'clock pm, so I got up.

"Hello?" I said, my voice hoarse.

"Hi, Bella?" a cheery voice said. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Yes?" I asked.

"This is Madison!"

"Oh, Madison, hi!" I asked, smiling as I remembered her."It's been so long since I've talked to you."

"Yes, months," she said sadly.

"I'm sorry, I was quite busy, but I should have kept contact."

"Oh, don't worry. It's not like I tried to reach you. Though I have missed you around here, it's so boring now," she said, laughing. I knew this was probably my only opportunity to inquire about the new assistant without sounding desperate.

"Is it? Surely not! How is Edward's new assistant?"

"Assistants, you mean. Loads of them have been coming and going. No one either wants to stay or Edward doesn't think he or she is appropriate after all."

"Eh… a lot of she's?" I asked, knowing I was betraying myself. I heard her laugh loudly on the other side.

"Equal, I would say. Though none of the ladies quite as pretty and kind as you, dear," she said kindly.

I laughed, "Thank you, Madison." I was silent for a few seconds. "How is Edward?"

"Oh, even more rude, absent-minded and stiff than before. You wouldn't believe it. He isn't capable of having a normal conversation with anyone. When you came, he slowly started getting better, but it has only gone downhill since you left."

"Perhaps something has happened to him."

"I know something has," she said immediately.

"What?"

"You left," she said, matter-of-factly. I blushed and laughed.

"I think that won't affect him very much," I said truthfully.

"I think you undermine the effect you have upon people," she told me.

"Well, perhaps I should come and visit, cheer Edward up," I said jokingly, though I wanted nothing more than to do that. I had a strong want to see him again.

"Perhaps you should," she said, not meaning it seriously. "Shall I tell him you said hello?"

"No, better not," I said sadly.

"All right, I'll – Oh, no, Mr Cullen, just a friend," she suddenly said. I frowned and my heart sped up as I realized she was talking to Edward.

"Sorry for that, Edward just walked by and wonder who I was talking to."

"That's fine, I need to go anyway. You'd better go back to your work, before he fires you also!" I said, laughing, knowing he wouldn't do that.

"Yes, you may be right. I hope I can speak to you again soon."

"Yes, absolutely!" I said, hanging up afterwards.

My heart ached to be back to the time I was working there, though a part of me knew my new job was better for me.

The next week, my boss told me I would have a class for my own for a few days. A teacher had called in sick and I was to take his place.

I had already met this class and knew they would be fine to handle, though I was still nervous.

"Your own class to teach?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Yes, I know! It's so nerve wrecking!" I said, laughing.

"You'll be great. I really think this is the perfect job for you. In some ways, the fact that Edward fired you has worked out rather nicely."

"In some ways yes," I said gravely.

"You don't get to see the love of your life daily, though," she said, smiling smugly.

"As if he is the love of my life," I said, rolling my eyes, secretly hoping she wasn't right. If he was the love of my life, I had screwed up quite badly.

I was standing outside the class room, listening to the voices of the students chatting loudly and excitedly for a few moments, to calm myself down.

I entered the class room and noticed how a few students stopped talking. Others needed more encouraging, but eventually they were all silent and I could get on with the lesson. My nerves slowly faded away as I told the students about one of my biggest passion, English literature. It was one of the few things I could endlessly talk about. I fancied that the students were interested, but didn't flatter myself too much.

At the end of the lesson, I was quite proud of myself as I watched the students walk away. I was about to gather my things, when I noticed someone in the far left corner of the room who had remained sitting.

I focused on the person and felt my heart stop as I realized who it was.


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I realized he had been present during the entire lesson, hearing me talk about English literature.

He was sitting, smiling at me. I stood still, frozen as I watched him. I didn't move as he got up and walked towards me.

"Hello, Bella," he said casually. I looked him in the eyes, not capable of saying anything. I hardly believed he was really there in front of me.

"How are you?" he asked, eyeing me.

"I'm –" my voice sounded hoarse, so I coughed, "I'm fine. This new job is great," I said politely and slightly mechanically. My mind was in overdrive as I tried to think of what to say.

"Yes, I'm glad," he said sincerely.

"Edward," I started, sighing, "what are you doing here?"

"All my other assistants have been rubbish," he told me in an explanatory manner.

"Then why did you fire me? Just because of cut backs?" I said, cocking my eyebrow.

He laughed humorlessly, "No, not just because of cut backs. Actually, not because of cut backs at all," he admitted.

"Really?" I asked, feeling hurt.

"Really. But also not because I _wanted_ to fire you," he told me.

"You didn't want to fire me?" I asked incredulously.

"No," he said plainly.

"Then why did you?"

"My father," he said gravely, "my boss."

"He told you to fire me?"

"Yes, unfortunately he did."

"Why did he do that? What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything, Bella. He had spoken to my colleagues," he said.

"Oh…"

"Yes, and because of them, he was convinced that you weren't the assistant I needed."

"Your colleagues also thought I wasn't suitable?" I asked, feeling my self-esteem lower immediately.

"I don't think that they said you were bad at your job, probably just that there might be people out there better qualified. Or they –," he started, but stopped talking suddenly and coughed.

"What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, they might have seen the way that I – that I was behaving around you," he said softly, as a slight blush crept across his cheeks.

"_How_ were you behaving?" I asked, not having realised before he had been treating me differently in any way.

"Perhaps a bit colder than was necessary, because I may have felt attracted to you," he said, making it sound a bit like a question as he avoided my eyes.

"So you fired me?" I said, though softer and less angry than before.

"Yes," he said, looking down. "Bella, believe me when I tell you that I didn't want to. I tried to go against him, but he's still my boss _and_my father."

"I do believe you." I tried to clear my head as I was processing everything that he had said. "I suppose he also forbade you to tell me at the party that you were going to fire me," I said, thinking I understood it, until I saw his pained face. "Right?"

"Well… not completely. But I wanted you to enjoy the party. I'm really, truly sorry. Do you think you can forgive me?" he asked, looking at me with sad eyes.

I sighed, not sure what to say. I did want to forgive him, but my mind told me not to rush things.

"So I wasn't bad at my job?" I asked.

"No! Well… I didn't think so."

"But your father did," I stated, looking at the ground.

"Don't blame him, he just wants to do what is best for the company. He just thought there might be more suitable people out there," he tried to explain.

"So who should I blame? You? Or your colleagues?" I asked sarcastically.

"You can blame whoever you want to blame, I'm just asking you to forgive me," he told me, a pleading look in his eyes.

"I don't know, Edward," I said softly. After a few moments of silence, I said, "I have missed you."

He rubbed his face with his hands and looked around, pain in his eyes.

"At least think about. Please," he pleaded. I nodded. "Let's meet tomorrow," he said, eyeing me questioningly.

"Fine, where?"

"I'll come to your place."

I nodded and sighed, "I'll see you then." I watched him as he walked away.

* * *

"In the classroom?" Alice asked, smiling broadly.

"Yes," I muttered, still in shock from what had happened.

"That's so cute," Alice chuckled. I rolled my eyes and gave her an incredulous look.

"You cannot be serious," I said, laughing.

"Of course I can," she said plainly. "So he will be coming over tomorrow? How exciting! What are you going to say? Are you going to forgive him? Please do," Alice said.

"I really don't know yet. I mean, I _will_ forgive him eventually, but if I forgive him now, he thinks he can do whatever he wants, because I'll just run straight back into his arms afterwards. He needs to know that what he did isn't just acceptable. But then again, he did it because his father told him to do it. God! It's just so confusing," I groaned.

"Just stay calm and hear what he has to say, and then do whatever feels natural. Don't over think it. If it feels right to forgive him, then forgive him," she said.

"I already know it will feel natural to forgive him, because there isn't anything I want more."

"Then listen to him, see if it sounds reasonable, and forgive him. You shouldn't stop yourself from being happy just to teach him a lesson. He already knows he did something incredibly stupid, he won't do it again. And he obviously feels something for you too, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to come by at all," she told me.

"You really think so? I don't want to have my hopes shattered. He always seemed so distant, that I find it hard to believe he really likes me."

"Did he act distant in that classroom?" I shook my head. "Thought so. Perhaps he has changed, perhaps because of you. Give him a chance to prove it."

I sighed and nodded, "I will. Thank you."

* * *

I was sitting on my couch, my fingers tapping on the arm rest of the couch as I was looking forward, trying to control my nerves. I hadn't seen Edward in so long, that I wasn't sure how to behave around him. He had definitely changed; he was rather less distant and rude. I should've been glad about that, but it just made me weary. I knew him the way he used to be, not this new version of him. How should I act around him? How could I interpret his actions if I was used to the way he acted months ago? I was afraid I would make a fool of myself, but knew it was an irrational fear. I had done nothing wrong and I hadn't changed. So, if anything, he should adapt himself.

I jumped up as I heard his knock on the door. This would be the first time he would see my house, I thought wearily. It was a weird idea, since he still seemed a bit like the unreachable boss in my eyes. And now he would enter my house.

I stood up and slowly walked towards the door, trying to calm down. I opened the door and felt a knot in my stomach as I saw him standing before me. He smiled slightly, looking just as unsure as me, and I let him in.

He looked around and I offered him a seat. As we sat down, we were both silent for a few moments.

"You said your assistants were rubbish," I reminded him. "How many have you had?"

He chuckled and seemed relieved that I chose to talk about this subject first.

"Oh, I can't even imagine how many. Most of them were only there for about a week, but some stayed a little longer." I nodded and smiled, remembering the conversation I had had with Madison.

"And at the moment?"

"I have just had a few interviews last week, and I'll have to decide which one will get the job tomorrow," he explained.

"If I were you, I would try to hang on to those assistants a little longer. If you go on like this, there won't be any good assistants left," I said, chuckling.

"Yes, you're right. It's just that none of them are ever as good as I had hoped they would be."

"You can't expect them to be perfect, no one is." He sighed and nodded, giving in.

"All right, I'll do my best to hang on to the next one," he promised, smiling.

"Edward," I started, deciding to get to the real issue, "I have thought about what you said yesterday." He looked up with a nervous expression. "I'm really sorry if I overreacted yesterday –"

"You didn't, you had every right to say what you did," he quickly interrupted me. I smiled gratefully.

"And I think you should know that if I ever held a grudge against you, that is completely over. I understand that you couldn't have gone against your father. And even if you could, you shouldn't have. He does have a good point, I wasn't that good for the job. I was surprised you even hired me to start with. So I am grateful that you gave me the chance to work at your company and in the end you – or your father – did what was best," I finished.

"Thank you for understanding," he told me. I nodded and smiled.

I stood up to let him out, still feeling empty for some reason. As if I had expected more to happen.

He got up and followed me to the door.

"Goodbye, Edward," I told him, not sure when I would see him again. I opened the door and he walked through it. I was about to close the door, when he suddenly turned around face and kissed me. At first I was so startled, I couldn't react. But I quickly recovered from the shock and returned the kiss.

It was a sensation I had never felt before. I hadn't realised a kiss could be this magical, feel so right. We broke apart and stood in the doorway, grinning stupidly at each other.

"Would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?" he asked, sheepishly. I chuckled and nodded.

"I'll call you," he said, after which he turned around and walked away.

I leaned against the doorpost and watched him as he got into his car. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as I felt truly happy for the first time in months.

Later that afternoon, Rosalie and Alice came to my house after I had called them to tell them the news.

"Finally!" Rosalie exclaimed. "You know, I thought this would happen from the moment you got hired." I raised my eyebrows questioningly, but she nodded with a serious expression, so I decided to believe her.

"Bella, I have a surprise for you," Alice said a few hours later with a secretive smile. Rosalie started beaming as if she suddenly remembered what Alice was talking about.

"Are you going to show her tonight?" she asked, sounding very excited. Alice nodded and started grinning too. I eyed them wearily.

"What's going on?"

"You'll see! Let's go," Alice said, getting up and putting on her coat.

"Where is this surprise?" I asked, extremely confused.

"It's at my apartment," Alice explained. I racked my brain trying to understand what it could be.

"All right… Should I be afraid?" I asked, chuckling.

"No, no. But let's go, I really want to see her face when she sees it," Rosalie said, still grinning.

"Hmm, so it's an object?" I asked. Alice threw Rosalie a mock angry expression.

"You're going to give it away!" Alice said, feigning desperation.

We got into Alice's car and made our way over to her apartment, Rosalie and Alice both unable to control their excitement. I was still wondering what they were on about, but had literally no idea.

As soon as we entered her apartment, Alice and Rosalie ran into Alice's bedroom and told me to wait in the living room.

After a few moments, in which I was getting more curious every second as I heard Alice and Rosalie talk in hushed voices, Alice told me to come in.

As I walked into her bedroom, I immediately saw what the surprise was and gasped loudly. The wedding dress I had seen when we were shopping for Rosalie – the one that I loved so much – was lying on Alice's bed.

"No way!" I exclaimed, rushing towards it. "Did you buy this? For me?"

"Yes," Alice said, smiling smugly. "Rosalie and I agreed that if you ever got a boyfriend and that it might be something serious, we would show and give this to you. As a sort of encouragement to marry him and to let us arrange the wedding. What do you think?"

"So you think that Edward is serious?" I asked them.

"Yes!" Rosalie said, smiling incredulously. "Don't you?"

"Well, I suppose so. But to already have a wedding dress is a bit radical, don't you think?" I asked, imagining what Edward would think if he saw this in my closet. But as I realised how sweet it was that they had done this, I quickly added, "But it's absolutely gorgeous. And if I ever get married, I will definitely wear this dress. And I will let you arrange the wedding," I promised them.

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, but I really think that Edward might be the one you'll marry," Alice said.

I repeated my worry that Edward might see it in my closet and they laughed loudly as they imagined it.

"Yes, that would be quite awkward. Men in general aren't that keen on settling down that quickly, so that would definitely scare him away," Rosalie said.

"In that case, I'll just keep it in my closet until the actual wedding," Alice said. "But first, you need to try it on!"

"What? You can't be serious! I can't try on a wedding dress when I have been together with my boyfriend for one day!"

"We just want to see how it looks on you," Alice said, pouting. I sighed, giving up, knowing I couldn't resist her puppy-dog eyes.

I went into the bathroom and put on the dress. As I came out, Alice and Rosalie gasped and smiled emotionally.

I looked in the mirror and felt tears in my eyes as I saw myself in a wedding dress for the first time. Well, the second time if you count the bed linen that I had wrapped around myself when I was seven.

I closed my eyes for a long moment, taking a deep breath.

* * *

**AN: What do you think? Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**14**

"Bella, we just want to meet him! Why not invite him over?" Rosalie suggested.

I sighed, "Fine, but you two have to behave, all right? Don't ask him any inappropriate questions," I told Alice and Rosalie.

"We would never do that," Alice said innocently. I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Of course not, Alice," I said, sarcastically. She smiled widely.

"Please, could you call him? We have been waiting so patiently!" Alice said, pouting.

"All right, all right! Please don't give me the puppy-dog eyes." I picked up the phone and gave them a pointed look.

After a few moments, he picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, Edward, it's me," I said, cheering up immediately.

"Hey," he said with a smile in his voice.

"What do you think of coming to my apartment tomorrow, so you can't meet my friends?" I suggested.

"I would love to, I'll be there around three," he told me.

"Great, thank you."

"No problem, I really want to meet them."

"They really want to meet you too, they've been asking to meet you for weeks," I said, laughing. Alice and Rosalie were throwing me angry looks.

He laughed, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" I said and hung up. I put down the phone and sat down next to Alice and Rosalie again, who were still frowning teasingly.

"Bella! Did you have to say that? Now he thinks we are pathetic," Alice said, chuckling.

"Aren't you?" I asked, feigning innocence. Rosalie jokingly shoved me.

* * *

The next afternoon, Alice and Rosalie arrived at two o'clock, not wanting to arrive after Edward.

"Remember what I asked you? No teasing and no weird questions," I told them, half an hour later.

"Yes, yes, we remember. You really need to calm down, we're not going to scare him away," Rosalie said, chuckling.

"I know, I'm sorry. I suppose I'm just a bit nervous. Oh! There he is," I said, standing up and hurrying towards the door, after I had seen him entering the parking lot through the window.

After a few moments, I heard his knock on the door and opened it.

"Hi," I said, inviting him in. He smiled and walked towards Alice and Rosalie.

"Hi, I'm Edward," he said, shaking their hands.

"We know," they said, chuckling. I blushed and rolled my eyes. Edward gave me an amused look and sat down on the couch, next to Alice.

"So, Edward, how's the business going?" Rosalie asked, who, with a look, mockingly questioned me if that question was appropriate.

"Oh, it's all going pretty well, actually. I'm hanging on to the assistant I've hired last week, Bella, as you told me," he said, chuckling.

"Glad to hear it," I said truthfully.

"So Edward, you really like Bella, right?" Rosalie asked.

"Rose…" I said warningly. She rolled her eyes and ignored me.

"Eh, yeah," Edward said, giving Rosalie a weary look. He looked at me and smiled, "I really do."

"Glad we cleared that up," Rosalie said, laughing as she saw me blushing.

"Edward, would you mind it if we would invite you and Bella to meet our boyfriends, Emmett and Jasper? I could understand it if that would be a bit much for you," Alice said friendly. I felt slightly relieved, glad that at least Alice respected what I had asked earlier.

"No, not at all, I would love to meet them," he said.

"Fantastic! I was thinking it would be fun to do something like visit the zoo or go to a mini golf course!" she said, contemplating more ideas in her head.

"Aren't that things that little children do?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

"Well, mostly yes, but just think of how much fun it could be! With Emmett trying to work a mini golf club," Alice said, laughing.

"I suppose so," Rosalie said, not completely convinced.

"Please, Rose. It would so boring to just have dinner together."

"Yes, that's true," Rosalie said slowly.

"Edward, what do you think?" Alice said, sighing as she looked at Rosalie. Rosalie frowned and looked away.

"Mini golf would be fine," he said. Alice gave him a look and we were all silent for a few moments. "Eh, mini golf would be great?" he said with a questioning tone as he looked at Alice with an uncertain look. Alice lost her stern look and smiled widely.

"That's settled then, right?" she said, looking at us in a way that we didn't dare go against her.

"Do you think Jasper and Emmett would like it?" I asked Alice.

"Well, Emmett is up for anything and if Jasper doesn't like it, I'll just find a way to persuade him," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Rosalie and I shuddered and shared a disgusted look.

"This is going to be so much fun! I'll just go and make sure there is room for a group of six people. Oh! When are we going to do it?" Alice asked.

"The day after the tomorrow is fine for me," Rosalie said. Edward and I agreed. Alice picked up the phone and started dialing the number. Once she was on the phone, Edward gave us a slightly overwhelmed look.

"Yes, she's always like that," Rosalie said, asking the question that was no doubt on his mind.

I laughed, "I'm sorry she forced you into the mini golf."

"No, that's fine. I was just wondering, why would it be especially funny to see Emmett with a mini golf club?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Emmett is quite a… big guy. Not fat, just a lot of muscle and very tall," I tried to explain. Alice put the phone down and turned towards us.

"They were a bit surprised that six grown-ups were coming, but they said it was fine," she said, excited. She walked to the couch, where she had dropped her coat when she had arrived here. "I think I'm going home to persuade Jasper," she said, smiling. This time, we all shuddered. "It was very nice meeting you, Edward."

"You too," he said, politely.

"I so do not want to know how she's going to persuade him," Rosalie said, after Alice had left.

"Me neither."

* * *

I shivered as I closed the car door behind me. I tightly wrapped the shawl around my neck and leaned against my car, waiting for the others to arrive.

The car park belonging to the mini golf club was completely deserted, which wasn't that strange, considering how early it was. I looked at my watch and sighed as I saw it was a quarter past seven AM. We would meet here at half past seven, but I had left quite early, in case there was a traffic jam.

I raised the shawl, so it also covered my nose and mouth. _Great idea, Alice_, I thought sourly, _to go to a mini golf course early in the morning._

After a few minutes, Alice and Jasper arrived.

"Good morning!" Alice shouted as she came out of the car. I nodded in return and waved, not saying anything, because the shawl was still covering my mouth.

Once they were standing next to me, I saw how Jasper was rubbing his hands together against the cold. Alice didn't seem to notice it as she was looking out onto the parking lot, waiting for the others to arrive.

Edward arrived next, also wrapping a shawl around his neck as he came out of the car. He walked towards us and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"It's quite cold, isn't it?" he asked, chuckling.

"Understatement," I muttered. Alice rolled her eyes.

"It's not that bad," she said. We all three gave her an incredulous look. "All right, fine! It's very cold."

Edward got his hands out of his pockets and wrapped them around mine. I sighed contently as I felt how his warm hands heated up mine.

Alice gave Jasper a puppy-dog look and, laughing, he wrapped his hands around hers.

Five minutes after the appointed time, Emmett and Rosalie arrived.

"Oh my god, it's cold!" Rosalie shrieked. Their car was always parked in the parking lot beneath their building, so she hadn't been outside yet. We all laughed and followed Alice, who had started walking towards the entrance.

A young man was sitting behind the desk, with a smile plastered on his face. He didn't seem surprised when we entered and he already had six golf club ready for us.

"Good morning," he said in a squeaky voice. "Here are the forms which you can use to keep score and there are you clubs. Any questions?"

"How long can we stay on the course?" Rosalie asked.

"As long as you wish, though we close at eight PM and you have to keep the other people in mind." We all looked onto the course, where no one was, and gave the boy a weary look. He blushed and stammered, "have fun."

We all grabbed a club and a golf ball, and decided Alice should be the one to keep score, who gladly accepted the task.

Alice hadn't exaggerated how funny it would be to see Emmett trying to handle a mini golf club. He folded his large hands around the club and tried to hit the small ball. After a few times, he did it and the ball flew across the course, landing far away. He chuckled sheepishly and said someone else should try.

Edward said he would try and after a few tries, putted the ball. He stepped aside and Rosalie gently pushed me forward. I sighed and put my golf ball on the ground and tried to find the right position to stand next to it. I gave a start as Edward moved me a bit so I had the right position, and I could hear Alice and Rosalie chuckle.

"Thank you," I said, softly, and I hit the ball with my club. I was surprised when I saw how close it got to the putt hole. I gave the ball another hit and it fell into the hole.

Alice was hastily writing on the form, trying to get everyone's score.

Emmett gave it another try, this time more gently, and managed to get the ball into the putt hole. Edward, Emmett and I moved onto the next course, and Jasper, Alice and Rosalie quickly followed.

We were all slowly starting to warm up from the exercise and everybody stopped muttering about the cold.

"You know what, Alice, this is actually quite fun," Rosalie said.

"Yes, I know!" Alice said, mockingly exasperated.

We continued playing mini golf for most of the morning and a bit of the afternoon. By then, none of us had the energy left to hit the ball properly and we decided it would be best to go to the café that adjoined the golf course and have some coffee.

We entered the large building and saw there were only three people present. One was the lady behind the counter and the other two were a couple who were sitting at a table next to the window, which was facing the golf course. They were giggling and I had the suspicious they had been watching us goof around.

We went to the large table in the middle of the room and placed our score forms on the table. Emmett and Edward brought the golf clubs and golf balls away and Rosalie and I went to order some coffee and food.

"Ooh… that looks good," I said, eyeing the sandwiches and cupcakes behind the counter. We ordered some coffee and, seeing Edward and Emmett had returned, I quickly walked towards them and asked if any of them wanted to eat something.

"A sandwich, please."

"Do they have soup?"

"I would love a chocolate muffin."

"Just a salad." I heard them say at the same time. Rosalie laughed, "and a blueberry muffin. Can you remember that?" I rolled my eyes and repeated everything in my head, after which I ordered it.

Rosalie placed the coffee on a tray and brought it to the table. She returned and together we brought the food to the table.

I sat down and let out a large breath, "If it's up to me, I say we will stay here for a few hours and do nothing." Everyone agreed and started eating and drinking.

"So, Alice, who has won?" I asked her, looking at the forms lying in front of her on the table. She grabbed them and smiled.

"The winner is Edward, congratulations. I couldn't have come up with a better way to enter this group," she said.

"Thanks, Alice," he told her, smiling gratefully.

"Next is Rosalie, then Jasper, Bella, Emmett, and I am last," she said, pouting. We laughed and Jasper grabbed her hand.

An hour later, we had all finished our coffee and food, and decided to return home.

"We really have to do something like this again," Rosalie said.

"Yes, but please, not mini golf," Emmett pleaded.

"Don't start that again! You all enjoyed it, I know you did," Alice said.

"It was a wonderful idea," Jasper said soothingly.

We all walked towards the parking lot, waving a goodbye to the boy behind the desk. Everyone get into their car, except for Edward, who stayed behind with me. We saw the rest drive away and waved.

"I really enjoyed it. I'm glad I met your friends," he told me.

"Me too, they really seemed to like you. But I still need to meet your friends."

"Yes, you do. I'll invite you some time when they are in London."

"They live somewhere else?"

"Yes, they live in New York. I grew up there," he explained.

"Ah, I see," I said, surprised I hadn't remembered that. "We don't really know each other that well, do we?"

"No, not really. Why don't we go on a date, something simple, where we can talk all evening and get to know each other?"

"That would be great," I said, smiling.

"What about next week. Friday?"

"Perfect."

"All right, I'll pick you up at seven," he said, winking. I blushed and watched him as he walked away, towards his car.


	15. Chapter 15

**15**

I woke up with a violent start and fell off the couch. I groaned and rolled around, my head throbbing. I realised I had been sleeping and had been awakened by the phone ringing.

I looked around and saw that the phone was quite far away. I asked myself whether I should get up and get it or not. I was hoping it would stop ringing, but it just continued, so eventually I got up and picked it up. I saw on the screen that it was twelve o' clock PM.

"Good morning," I said, sounding a bit hoarse.

"Good morning, Bella! It's Emma," I heard her say.

"Oh, Emma! How nice of you to call."

"Well, I had to! I haven't talked to you in ages! And yesterday, I encountered Edward and asked him what had happened and he said that you two were together! That's so amazing!"

"Thank you," I said, chuckling.

"And I also thought that _–_ if you don't mind, of course _–_ you could answer some questions, because I'm still confused about a few things."

"No, that's fine. What are you confused about?"

"Why did he fire you?"

"His father wanted someone more appropriate for the job," I said, explaining it for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Oh, I see. And why was he always so rude towards you when you were still working here?"

"He already liked me back then and didn't want anyone to know. And he didn't really know how to act."

"All right. Well, one more question, if you don't mind."

"No, of course not," I said, chuckling.

"Who was that blonde girl that stormed out of his room when you first started working with us?" she asked, stunning me. I was silent for a few moments, racking my brain, wondering if he had told me that.

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Oh," she said, surprised, "well, that's fine. I don't need to know anyway."

"All right," I said, still wondering how I had forgotten to ask Edward that.

"Well, I've got to go, but we really need to catch up sometime soon!"

"Yes, I agree. I'll call you next week, all right?"

"That's fine, goodbye!"

"Bye," I said, putting the phone down.

I told myself to calm down and ask Edward about it tonight, during the date.

I yawned and sat down on the couch. I hadn't been planning on sleeping in this much. Last night, I had been reading until it was very late, which was probably the reason I had slept till twelve o'clock.

Alice and Rosalie both had things do to do, so I had to get ready myself. I didn't mind, because it wasn't that much work and I could easily do it myself, but I always liked the support they gave me and how they tried to calm my nerves.

I knew Edward and I were probably just going out to dinner, so we could talk and get to know each other.

I sighed, I still had six hours to spent. After cleaning the living room for a while, I decided to do some grocery shopping.

When I returned, I started getting ready for the date, making sure I had enough time, in case something went wrong.

I went through my closet, picking out the few dresses I had. I laughed as I realised that some of them were from when I had been in high school. I took the dark blue dress I had already decided upon as soon as I had seen it and put it on.

I went to the bathroom, looking into the mirror, wondering what to do with my hair. I lifted a few strands of hair, asking myself how Alice always did this. I saw the objects she always used, but didn't know which to use.

Eventually, I managed to curl and pin up my hair. I smiled, quite satisfied with the way it looked. The other mystery, make-up, was next, which, thankfully, was easier to use.

When I was done, I looked into the full size mirror in my bedroom. The dress looked quite good on me, which was probably why I had bought it. The skirt flowed around my legs. I had put on the shoes which had the same colour as the dress. I wasn't fully convinced about the heels, but decided to risk it.

An hour later, Edward arrived and knocked on the door.

"Hi," I said, still excited every time I saw him.

"You look beautiful," he said, offering his arm. I linked arms with him and closed the door behind me.

"You flatter me too much," I said, chuckling.

"It is not flattery, 'tis truth," he replied.

I laughed, "Really, Byron?"

"Perhaps," he said, chuckling.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, once we were in the car, driving away from the centre of the city, instead of towards it.

"Would you be satisfied if I said it was a surprise?" he asked, chuckling.

"Hmm, no, not really," I said, laughing.

"That's a shame, because I'm not going to give away the surprise." I smiled, feeling curious and excited.

"It better be a good surprise," I teased.

"I'm utterly convinced it will," he replied. I chuckled and nodded. I looked out of the window and noticed how we were following the Thames, going towards the coast.

"We're almost there," Edward said, after half an hour. I looked around, seeing how we were nearing the beach. The sun was starting to set, making the sky a beautiful red colour. He turned into a small lane and slowly the amount of cars decreased, until we were alone. He parked in the verge of the lane and got out to open the door for me.

"Thank you," I said, and saw how he walked towards the boot of his car, opened it and took a basket and a blanket out of it. He smiled and closed the boot.

We climbed over the dunes and were met with a deserted beach and the ocean. The sun was on the horizon, it's light glittering on the water.

Edward placed the blanket on the hill of the dune and sat down. I sat down next to him, sighing contently.

"It's beautiful here." Edward nodded, looking at the sun with a smile on his face. "How did you find this place?"

"When I was a kid, my parents took me here during a holiday. I spent entire days here, just looking out onto the sea, playing with a dog that was always here."

"That must have been amazing," I said.

"Yeah, it was a pretty nice," he replied, chuckling.

"Do you come here often?"

"No, I've only been here a few times since that holiday. I think that if I come here too often, the magic of this place will somehow disappear."

"Yes, I know what you mean," I said. "Thank you for bringing me here." It must have been a big thing for him to share this special place, and I felt truly grateful.

"It's actually quite nice to share this with someone," he said. We were both silent for a while as the sun passed beneath the horizon, the sky slowly turning darker, and the lights in the town to the left of us gradually turning on.

"Are you hungry?" Edward asked.

"A bit." He grabbed the picnic basket and opened it.

"All right, I've got a pasta salad, bread and a tomato and mozzarella salad."

"Ooh, that looks delicious," I said, eyeing the pasta.

"Here are plastic plates and cutlery," he said, giving it to me.

During dinner, the sky turned completely dark and the lights in the city became even more prominent.

"Wait, I've got some candles," Edward said, putting down his plate. He took some candles out of the basket and placed them in a holder, so they could safely stand on the blanket. He lit them, creating a soft, yellow light, illuminating his face.

"Much better," he said, "now I can at least see you." I chuckled and blushed.

When we had finished dinner, he opened the basket again and lifted a chocolate cake out of it. I laughed when I saw it.

"A chocolate cake?" I asked, chuckling. He looked up, worriedly.

"Is there something wrong with chocolate cake? Are you allergic to chocolate?" he asked, frowning.

"No, not at all. I love chocolate cake. I just thought it was funny that you went through to the trouble of taking chocolate cake with you. It's very cute," I said, smiling. He smiled, relieved and slightly embarrassed at being called cute.

"The picnic dinner wouldn't be complete without it," he replied.

"No, that's true," I said, still amused. He offered me a piece and I took it from him.

When we had finished eating and had put everything back in the basket, I turned to him.

"Thank you, it was absolutely delicious," I told him, smiling.

"No problem, I liked making it," he said.

"Really? Wow, another good quality," I teased. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"I have you know that I have loads of good qualities," he teased back.

"Sure you have," I said, chuckling.

"I do," he exclaimed, laughing.

"Well, name a few, then."

"I can _show_ you one," he said.

"Oh? Now I'm curious."

"All right then," he said, rising and signalling me to do the same.

"Wait, I'm involved too?"

"Yes, of course," he said, smiling mischievously. I frowned worriedly as I was standing in front of him. At that moment, the wind blew out the candles and we were suddenly surrounded by darkness, except for the city lights in the distance. I couldn't even see Edward, because my eyes needed to adapt to the sudden change of light. I gasped as I suddenly felt Edward's lips on mine. I smiled against his lips. Ah, I see, that is one of his good qualities.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me closer. We eventually broke apart to breathe.

"Do you agree?" he asked, slightly breathlessly.

"Oh yeah, absolutely."

Half an hour later, we were back in the car, on our way back to London.

"Edward?" I asked suddenly, "I need to ask you an awkward question."

"What is it?"

"Eh, don't get angry, but I just wanted to know who that blonde woman was, who was in your office when I still worked there?" He had been looking slightly worried, but now started laughing.

"Oh, her? I'm surprised you even remember her. She had been my assistant a year ago. She was very angry when I fired her, so she returned a few times to get angry at me and demand compensation. We eventually got rid of her, thankfully," he explained. I blushed and felt the need to face palm.

"I'm really sorry. God, I feel so stupid for asking."

"No, its fine," he said, "really."

I looked at him, still feeling embarrassed.

"I know what it is like, feeling jealous," he said. I raised my eyebrow. "You know, you with Jacob?"

"Oh, yes, of course."

"At the time, I really hated him," he admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, things between me and Jacob would never have worked."

"I'm glad," he said, half joking, half serious.

We arrived at my place and he walked me to the door.

"I had a fantastic evening, it was absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much," I told him.

"No problem. I had a great time," he said. He kissed me and smiled widely.

"I love you," I said suddenly, surprising even myself. I bit my lip as I eyed Edward, wondering what he was thinking. He smiled calmly and grabbed my hands.

"I love you too," he said. I grinned and leaned against him.

"Can I come to your place tomorrow? I haven't seen it yet."

"Yes, of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

The next day I got into my car, placing the note with his address on the seat next to me. It took a while to find, but I eventually ended up at a very modern house, just outside town. It had a large lawn and drive in front of the house and the house was surrounded by trees. I parked the car and walked towards the door. I rang the door bell and a few moments later, he opened the door and, after kissing me, let me in.

"Wow, your house is beautiful!" I exclaimed, walking into the large, open living room. The floor was from light wood, the walls were white and most of the furniture was made of a dark, shining wood. The windows reached from the ceiling to the floor on the left and right side of the room. The right side of the living room was an extension, with a beautiful white couch and a modern television facing each other.

Right ahead of the front door were the stairs and left of the stairs was a hallway leading to the kitchen and the downstairs bathroom.

"So you like it?" he said, smiling.

"Yes, absolutely. I wonder why I haven't been here before," I said.

"Well, from now on, you can come here as often as you like," he told me. I smiled at him.

"Care to give me a tour?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Follow me, milady." I chuckled and followed him. We walked through the hallway left of the stairs and entered the kitchen.

Cupboards covered two of the walls and in the middle was a large cooking area. On the left side were windows, showing the small patch of grass and the wood behind that.

We then returned to the living room and went up the stairs. The upstairs hall way had a white carpet and white walls. His bed room was to the left and to the right was a spare bedroom, a bathroom and a room with his piano in it.

"What a beautiful piano," I said, nearing the shining, black grand piano.

"Do you play the piano?" he asked me.

"I had a few lessons when I was a kid, but I've forgotten it all now."

"Shall I play something for you?"

"Oh, yes, please!"

He sat down on the piano seat and signalled me to sit down beside him. I rushed towards him. He placed his fingers on the keys and once they started moving, beautiful music filled the room. I closed my eyes and listened. When he was finished, I opened my eyes and smiled.

"That was absolutely amazing! Is that your music?"

"Yes, I wrote it a month ago."

"Wow, that's incredible."

"I told you I had many good qualities," he teased. I chuckled and playfully shoved his shoulder.

"I actually wrote it for you," he said, turning serious.

"Really?" I asked, smiling emotionally and wondering what I had done to deserve him. I leaned forward and kissed him. "That's the most wonderful thing someone has ever done for me. Thank you."

"I love you," he said simply.

"And I love you," I replied.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to Francisca for pointing out some mistakes I made :)!**


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The sun reflected on my wedding ring as I was sitting in the garden. I heard a door open and close, and Edward walked into the garden and sat down beside me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I said, chuckling. He smiled tenderly as he placed his hand on my belly, which had grown over the past few months.

"Julia," he whispered, looking at my belly.

"Or Brian," I replied, raising one eyebrow. We didn't want to know yet, but I had a feeling it was a boy.

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Alice will be here in a few minutes, with Mat," he said.

"She called?"

"Yes, though I could hardly make out what she was saying. She is very excited," he chuckled.

"Can you blame her? She has been waiting ages to get married and go on a honeymoon."

"Well, it's her own fault that she refused to get married when pregnant," he said, smiling.

"It was quite a surprise for everyone when she found out. But Mat is absolutely adorable. Did you see him in his little tuxedo during the wedding?" I asked, thinking back to the wedding that had taken place a few days ago. Alice had looked beautiful in her wedding dress. She and Jasper were now about to go on their honeymoon, so their son, Mat, would stay with us for two weeks.

"I think I hear her car," I said, getting up.

"Sit down, I'll get it," he said, eyeing me as I clumsily got up. I was due in one month and tried to walk as little as possible. Edward was always watching out for me, which I appreciated, but I sometimes wondered if he wasn't worrying too much.

He came back with Alice walking behind him, holding Mat in her arms.

"Hi, Mat!" I said, smiling widely. He laughed and stretched his little hands out to me. Alice handed him over to me.

"Excited?" I asked Alice.

"Yes, I can't wait! Though I'm going to miss Mat terribly," she said, smiling sadly as she looked at her infant son.

"We'll be sure to look after him," Edward said.

"Absolutely! We'll spoil him too much and do everything he isn't allowed to do with you," I said, laughing as Alice started to look worried. "And it'll be a good practise," I added, looking at my belly.

"Yes, I was worrying about that. What if you get into labour when we aren't here?" Alice wondered worriedly.

"I don't think that'll happen. I'll do everything I can to hold out the labour until you're back," I joked.

"Have you finished packing?" Edward asked Alice.

"Yes, Jasper will be here in a few minutes and then we'll go the airport and be on our way to Mallorca," she said, smiling excitedly.

"I hope you have a great time, you both deserve it," I said.

"Thanks. I'm sure it'll be great," she said, chuckling.

"Hi, guys!" Jasper shouted, walking towards us. "Ready, Alice?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, getting up. "Thank you for babysitting Mat." She turned towards her son, who was now in Edward's arms. "Bye, honey! We'll be back before you know it," she said, getting tears in her eyes.

"We'll make sure he has everything he wants," Edward reassured her. Jasper took Mat from his arms and kissed Mat's forehead. He then handed him back to Edward, and, together with Alice, they walked to the car and left.

A week later, Mat had gotten used to us and was content with the constant attention he got. Every time I looked at Mat, I got excited about my own child, looking forward to holding him or her in my arms.

Rosalie visited with her three year old daughter, Eleanor. Edward and I were sitting in the living room, with Mat in his cot. Rosalie carefully put Eleanor down and Eleanor waddled towards us, giggling.

"Hey, Ellie," I smiled, picking her up and showing her Mat.

"Bella, please, don't call her Ellie," Rosalie said, feigning exasperation.

"What? I like 'Ellie'. Of course, 'Eleanor' is a beautiful name, but 'Ellie' is just so cute," I said.

"Fine," Rosalie said, laughing. "So, how are you feeling, Bella?"

"Nauseous, my back hurts, I can't walk properly, and the baby is constantly kicking me, but besides that I'm great," I said, chuckling.

"Believe me, I know how you feel," she said, looking at Ellie, who innocently returned her gaze, scrunching her face in a very cute way.

"And how is Mat behaving?" she asked.

"He's sleeping at the moment, thankfully," Edward said, laughing.

"It's a bit tiring that he wakes up at the most ungodly hours," I explained.

"Well, that's a baby for you," she said.

"I know," I said, sighing, not particularly looking forward to that part of motherhood.

"Well, Alice and Jasper are coming back in a few days, and then, hopefully, you'll have two weeks to rest," she said.

"I hope so," I laughed.

* * *

"Tell me! How was it?" I asked Alice and Jasper, who had returned from their honeymoon and were now in our living room, relieved to be holding Mat again.

"It was amazing!" Alice smiled.

"Mallorca is beautiful," Jasper said.

"Not that we have seen that much of it," Alice replied, giggling.

"Little children present," I said, feigning shock. Alice looked at Mat and sighed.

"I'm so happy to be able to hold him again," she said. "But it can't be long before your child will be born. I'm so curious if it's a boy or a girl!"

"Me too, I can't wait. I just want to hold him or her in my arms and be able to look into his or her eyes," I said, smiling tenderly.

* * *

A week later, I finally could. I was lying on the hospital bed, holding Brian in my arms.

"You were right, it's a boy," Edward said, shaking his head incredulously.

"Mother's instinct," I explained, laughing. Brian turned his gaze from Edward to me, wrapping his little fingers around mine.

"I could just look at him the entire day," I whispered, smiling at Brian. Suddenly, the flash of a camera startled me, and Alice entered the room, with Jasper following her, holding Mat, who was looking around in disbelief.

"Look at this picture, isn't it beautiful?" Alice asked, showing it to Edward. He saw the picture and smiled affectionately.

"They're both very beautiful," he agreed. I looked at Brian, saw his bright green eyes and a few dark brown hairs, and had to agree with him.

"I think this is the beginning of a very beautiful family," I whispered.


End file.
